Way of the Heart
by Mareo and Anime
Summary: Kohana has never had invaders like these before... Or help, as a matter of fact...A viable attempt at a Kingdom Hearts Naruto crossover. Both younger versions. You'll see when you read. EDIT: Currently on Hiatus due to other work, WILL be worked on.
1. Chapter 1

The Way of the Heart

The towering trees confined within the area were ancient, tall and twisted, harbouring shadows in every crevice. A huge centipede scuttled up the side of the tree, sending dark, yellow eyes creatures scampering whilst a single bird flew down from the sky and settled gracefully on a branch.

Moments before being devoured by a monstrous python. This was Training Area 44, off limits to everyone but the bravest ninja. Clustered around the outside were around 100 Genin, or Beginner-level Ninja, waiting to go in to complete the first part of the Chuunin exam, which would qualify them to become Chuunin, or Middle-level Ninja. Among those Genin, one stood, hands shielding his eyes from the sun, frowning impatiently.

This was Naruto Uzumaki, or Naruto for short.

"This sure is a creepy place…" A pink-haired girl commented, a look of apprehension on her face. This was Sakura Haruno, a member of Naruto's 3 man cell, who was also taking the exam. The third member of the cell, Saskue Uchiha, stood slightly apart from the other two, looking over the forest with an air of irritation, equally impatient to get started, but able to pass it off as cool indifference.

"Heh…" The head examiner, Anko, snorted, addressing the whole crowd. "You will be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death."

"(Huh.)" Naruto snorted, putting his hands on his hips. _"You will be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death._" He repeated mockingly, wiggling from side-to-side. "There's no point in trying to scare us like that! I'm not scared at all!"

The other examiners tensed, waiting for Anko's sharp tongued retort, but instead, she smiled sweetly at him. "Really? You sure are energetic."

Suddenly, quicker than blinking, she extracted a kunai, throwing knife, out of her pocket and threw it at Naruto, missing his skin by millimetres and actually slicing the hair of another student behind. Naruto had barely thought 'What?' when she appeared out of nowhere behind him.

"Boys like you die the fastest…" She said in the same sweet tone, cupping his terrified face in her hand and tilting his head slightly. "After spilling out that red blood I love all over the place…" She added, gently wiping a finger up his cheek, collecting the warm liquid that had dripped from the fresh wound.

She suddenly tensed, slipping another kunai out of her sleeve and raising it up in a ready stance. A long, purple tongue reached over her shoulder, encircling the kunai she'd just thrown.

"Here's your knife…" The tongue's owner, another Genin, said as he tilted his hat to her.

"Thank you." Anko replied cheerily. "But don't stand behind me like that. That is, unless you want to die young…"

By this time, all eyes were on the three figures, so no-one noticed a bright twinkle in the blue sky above them…

* * *

"This is NOT the way back to Agrabah!!!" A young boy yelled frantically, hitting every button and pulling every lever of the Gummi Ship control panel he could get his hands on.

"Stop it! I've told you, I drive!" A pushy voice yelled in return, as Sora was suddenly shouldered out of the way by an anthropomorphic duck in wizard garb, who attempted to undo Sora's thoughtless commands until the ship tilted violently to the right, throwing all three of the crew into the far side of the cabin.

"Get your feathery butt out of my face!" Sora grunted, trying to extract himself from the pile up as the ship righted itself.

"You leave my behind out of this!" Donald shot back, his short temper flaring. "It's your fault that we're in this mess in the first place!"

"My fault?!?" He snapped, aghast. "Who just said they do all the driving?!?"

"That's beside the point!" The duck said dismissively, waving him away as their third crewmember, an anthropomorphic dog dressed in royal armour, sat up and rubbed his head, groaning. "You're the one who wanted to check out that dark scary looking space hole!"

"That's not my fault!" He snapped, gesticulating at the large, key-shaped weapon in his hand as Goofy moved to the front of the cabin. "The keyblade told me we should go towards it!"

"Liar!"

"Um, fellers…" Goofy said, waving for his friends' attentions as he stared out of the window, gulping in apprehension.

"You wanna start something?!" Sora growled, brandishing the keyblade threateningly.

"Fellers?" He looked back, pointing with both hands out of the window.

"Yeah!" Donald growled back, a short staff appearing in his hand. They strode forward and jammed their foreheads together, growling, trying to intimidate the other.

"FELLERS!" Goofy yelled suddenly, cupping his hands round his mouth. The other two looked round, surprised.

"Take it easy Goofy." Sora said apologetically. "We were only playing around."

"Hmmgh." Donald grunted, turning away, a small smile on his face.

"I know that," Goofy sighed, shaking his head. "I just wanted to know what you want to do about that?"

"What?" The other two said in unison.

"That." He confirmed, pointing behind him to the forest filling the whole front window.

They screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

'He ran away…' Sasuke thought bitterly, staring after their attacker, his partial Sharingan blazing as red as the blood that flecked his face.

"Dammit, Naruto!" Sakura yelled, leaping over the tree roots to check on her Sasuke-kun. "Why did you let yourself get caught like that?!?"

"Hey, hey!" He defended, joining them. "Don't blame me! I was peeing!"

"And what have I said about talking about that _in- front- of- a- lady_?!" She growled viciously, punctuating each syllable with a smack to the back of his head.

"He won't be gone for long." Sasuke warned, wiping his opponent's blood off his cheek and deactivating the Sharingan. "We need to-" He stopped and shot a look over his shoulder, eyes widening. "RUN!" he yelled, moments before a tremendous crash resonated through the forest, a nearby tree exploding in a shower of wood shards.

"What the heck is that?!?" Naruto yelled over the noise, shielding his face as they ran for cover.

"Not now, idiot!!" Sasuke yelled, jumping behind a sturdy tree and pressing his back flat against the bark. The others mimicked him, gritting their teeth over the thunder of the noise.

After a minute or two, when the last crunching of falling branches had quietened sufficiently, Sasuke slowly shifted round the tree to investigate the source of the noise.

"Well?" Sakura asked as Sasuke stiffened, a hand tight round a kunai. He slowly turned back, an incredulously confused look on his usually haughty features. He shook his head disbelievingly, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just look for yourselves…" He said, tilting his head towards 'it'. They leant slowly round the corner. And gaped.

What looked liked a giant set of brightly painted children's building blocks was nestled in the splintered remains of the trees, smoke drifting from the side opposite the pointy end. The top part was partially translucent, and vague shadows could be seen moving around.

"What…"

"The hell…"

"Is that?" Sasuke finished, looking up at it suspiciously. "No idea. I've never seen anything like it. It could be some type of Jutsu."

"Looks like there's something in it…" Said Naruto, taking a few steps out from behind the tree and squinting at the dome on top. "You don't think someone's hurt in there, do you?" He wondered, glancing back to them.

"That's not a real concern of ours." Sasuke said coldly, starting out in the other direction. "Helping them doesn't help us complete the exam, does it? Plus it's probably a trap."

"Oi! Heartless bastard!" Naruto growled, pointing at the 'thing'. "They could be in real trouble, and you want to walk away?" Sasuke stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah."

"Sasuke!" Sakura reproached, shooting him a glare. "How can you say that? Naruto's right, we can't just walk away from an accident like that!" When this failed to move him she sighed. "Look, if they're injured, there's not really much threat from them, is there? And anyway, they might have a scroll as well." He stopped walking, and the other two hoped he was giving the situation a second thought. After a tense few seconds, however-

"Fine."

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, "Outvoted!" and he made up a little 'My-idea-beat-Sasuke's' dance on the spot. It took him a few seconds to realise the others were halfway to the object.

"Hey! Wait up!"

* * *

"You." Donald moaned, elbowing Sora in the ribs. "Never. Drive. Again." 

"I was crashing, not driving…" Sora countered, shrugging the other two off his back as he made his way to the control panel, shrugging his shoulders to ease the pain. He sat in the pilot's seat and tapped the console's buttons.

Nothing. Not even the hum of background power or flicker of standby lights. Sora glanced around, panic slowly rising in his chest.

"Um, Donald? Goofy?" He said slowly, trying to hide the squeak in his voice. "I think you should get up here. Now."

"What's the matter now?!" Donald huffed, straightening his ruffled tail feathers. His eyes widened, however, when he saw the inactivity of the panel. He quacked loudly, pressing buttons at random, mimicking Sora's earlier performance to a T. "WHAAAT?!?! What's going on?!? What's happened?" He rounded on Sora. "What did you do now?!?"

"Looks like the ships out of power…" Goofy said, squinting at the control panel as he rubbed his chin. It was surprising how soothing his calm voice was in the middle of the panic. "Chip 'n' Dale showed me a thing or two before we left." He commented to their curious looks. He pushed a button or two experimentally, 'hmm'ing as he did so.

"Well?" Sora asked anxiously, like a nervous family member to a doctor.

"Yep, out of power." He said gravely, nodding his head.

"Can you fix it?" Donald asked in the same hushed tone.

"What? Are you kidding?" Goofy hyucked jovially, hands on his hips. "They didn't show me _that_ much!"

The other two groaned in frustration.

"Well, one of these buttons has to do something!" Goofy said, scratching the side of his head. "Maybe…" He pushed an important looking green one.

_Chink-chink-chink_

"Huh?" He frowned, tilting his head to the side. He pushed it again.

_Chink-chink-chink_

"Since when did we get a 'Chink-chink' button?" Sora asked bemusedly, staring at the button warily. The other two shrugged, and Goofy pressed it again.

_Chink-chink-chi-_

_CRACK!_

They all jumped a mile when the sharp point of a knife burst through the glass in front of them, littering the console with shards. They stared in surprise as it was pulled out, and a bright blue eye appeared in the hole, which widened in equal surprise.

"Um… Hi?" Sora ventured nervously, leaning forward to look back into the eye.

"Are you alright in there?" The eye asked, looking from side to side in curiosity. "Don't worry, we'll get you out!"

"No, wait!" Sora said hurriedly, waving him down. "There's already a way out round the side! Just don't start stabbing at the glass again!" The figure eye-smiled to them.

"Sure thing!" It disappeared from view, and the three inside took that as a cue to venture outside (with difficulty due to the angle of the ship). They pulled the manual release and the door burst open, letting them scramble out onto a thick branch still left standing.

"Um…" Donald asked, looking round warily at the dark forest. "I thought they were meeting us-"

"WHOA!" A loud voice exclaimed from above them, and they looked up in time to see a blond haired boy in an orange suit jump from the top of the ship and land in between them, looking with interest at Donald and Goofy. "Cool Summons!"

"Summons? Us?" Goofy asked, scratching his head and looking confusedly to Donald, who just shrugged. The boy suddenly rounded on him; grabbing his beak and yanking it open as he peered down his throat.

"How long did it take for you to learn this?" The boy asked the aghast Sora as Donald flailed around, gagging as the boy grabbed his tongue and stretched it out.

"Gkkkacht-! Get off me!" Donald snapped angrily, pulling free of his grip and smacking him on the head with his wand.

"Kuso!" He swore, baring a fist at the enraged fowl. "Damn bird! Watch who you're hitting!"

"So, who would that be?" Sora quickly interjected as Goofy grabbed Donald to stop him pounding the boy. The boy grinned brightly as he pointing a thumb at his chest.

"Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage!" He said proudly.

"Keep dreaming, dropout." Said a voice from behind Sora. He turned to see a dark haired boy dressed in blue drop down from the top of the ship, followed by a girl in red with pink hair. Naruto frowned, folding his arms defensively.

"(Sasuke-baka…)" He muttered, turning away.

"Naruto! You moron!" The girl said fiercely, striding past the bemused Sora and yanking Naruto from between Donald and Goofy by his ear. She quickly bowed to Sora as she walked back. "I'm really sorry about him being so rude." She motioned to the struggling boy she had by the earlobe.

"Oh… N-no problem…" he muttered as she pulled him, cursing, back to the dark haired boy.

"Naruto, what is your problem?!?" She growled on releasing him. "You don't just jump into a situation without finding out all the facts!"

"Aw, Sakura-chan!" He moaned, rubbing his ear. "That's what I was trying to do!"

"What, by looking down a Summons's throat?" Sasuke asked. "Real smart thinking there, dropout."

"Well… he could have hidden a scroll down there!"

"And I don't think these guys want to hear you whole Hokage story, y'know." Sakura added, pointing to the trio, who by now were shrugging to each other, looking completely lost.

"Um, excuse me," Goofy tentatively interrupted, raising a hand as if asking a question in school. "What's a Hokage?"

The three ninjas stared at him, unsure what he's just said. He smiled good-naturedly, waiting for an answer.

"You're… kidding, right?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. The three shook their heads in unison. "The leader of Kohana? The top Ninja of the village?"

"Ninja?" Donald asked, scratching his head. "You mean like Yuffie?"

"What's a Yuffie?" Naruto asked back, mirroring Donald's actions. He looked round as Sasuke pinched his elbow, tilting his head away, calling for a huddle.

"(I don't think these guys are Ninjas.)" Naruto whispered to the others, looking over his shoulder at them.

"(Well, what was your first guess(?))" Sakura said scathingly. "(Their chakra signatures are really weak, except that duck, but it's concentrated round that staff of it's.)"

"(Sakura's right.)" Sasuke confirmed. "(I don't think these guys have _ever_ had ninja training.)"

"(We might as well ask them.)" Naruto shrugged. He turned back to them. "Hey, do you guys have any scrolls on you?"

"(Real subtle, Naruto…)" Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes.

"No, why would we?" Donald said warily.

"Because that's what we're looking for!" Naruto said disappointedly. "It's part of the Chuunin Exam!" The three looked blankly at him. "Oh, yeah… Well, it's so we can go to the next level of being Ninjas, 'cause now, we're just Genin, and-"

"Just to get things straight," Sasuke interrupted, giving Sora a steely look. "You don't have any scrolls, right?"

"Well, no…"

"Then goodbye." He said bluntly, turning on the spot and walking away. "(I knew it would be a waste of time…)"

"Sasuke!" Naruto growled, running after him. Sakura sighed to herself, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Are they normally like that?" Sora asked, slightly amused.

"All the time, I'm afraid." She smiled at him. "But they have a point. If you don't have a scroll, then there's no point in us being here." She made to go, turning on the spot.

"Wait a second!" Sora perked up, reaching out and grabbing her wrist. She reacted instinctively, drawing a kunai, the point pressed against Sora's throat before anyone could twitch, and Sora winced at the killing intent he could feel.

"Oh-! Sorry…" She said hurriedly, removing the tip from his windpipe. "Training…"

"N-no, it's a-alright…" he said, trying to keep his voice steady though his heart was racing. "I-I just wanted to ask, is it alright if we come with you?"

"What?!?" Sakura, Donald and Goofy said in unison.

"Why not?" He reasoned, looking to the pair. "We need to find a way to get the ship working," He turned to Sakura. "And it couldn't hurt to lend you some help, right?"

"Well…" She narrowed her eyes at them, and then glanced to where Naruto and Saskue were arguing animatedly. She looked back to Sora's pleading face.

"…alright, but you'll have to look after yourselves!" She warned, pointing at them. "We can't afford to cover for you three when there's trouble."

"No worries!" Donald said confidently. "We can look after ourselves!"

"Okay, if you insist…" she said cheerily. Without warning, she broke into a run, leaving them in her dust as she joined the other two as they sprang from branch to branch.

"HEY-!" Sora yelled in surprise, racing to catch them, Donald and Goofy hot on his heels. "Wait up!"

* * *

_Sakura has joined your party._

* * *

Just trying to get two Canon-s working here... 


	3. Chapter 3

"W… Wait a second!" Sora panted heavily, running along the ground at full pelt to keep up with the tree-hopping figures. He'd always figured he were fast, but glancing back at Donald and Goofy, who were in equal states of exhaustion, he was hardly moving compared to these 'Genin'.

"Geez, you guys sure are unfit…" Naruto frowned, falling back to run next to him, his breathing even compared to Sora's wheezing. "If that's how you run, it's no wonder you aren't shinobi."

"That's easy…" Donald gasped, eyes closed from exertion. "For you… To say… Kid…" At the head of the formation, Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, let's stop for now. We need to talk." He added, frowning back towards Sora. The other two landed in a clearing, where Sora, Donald and Goofy flopped down gratefully when they caught up, leaning against each other's back as they caught their breath.

"(You've got to… teach us… how you… do that…)" Sora grinned, wincing up at them through a stitch in his side.

"Later." Sasuke said briskly. "There's something I need you to do first." The three perked up, and Sakura and Naruto gave him questioning looks. "As complete outsiders, we don't know who you are, apart from you names, where you come from, or what abilities you may have. There's no sure way we can trust you." He narrowed his eyes at them "We can only trust other ninjas if our countries are allies. For now, you'll have to make a temporary allegiance."

"What?" Blinked Sora, getting to his feet, unsure how to 'alliege' to anything. Sasuke reached into his back pocket and pulled out a blank scroll and a brush pre-loaded with ink.

"Make an allegiance between our countries." He explained, unfurling the scroll and daubing ink onto the page. "Normally, the Hokage would be informed about this, but since we're in the middle of an exam, there's no chance to tell him." After a few seconds, he turned the paper around to them. "So we'll have to improvise for now."

Sora frowned uncertainly, trying to decipher _what_ was written on the scroll. There seemed to be a block of writing, then a space for something, then a small footnote, but apart from that…

"I can't make anything out of that chicken-scratch!" Donald complained, squinting at it. "(Something must really be wrong with the Gummi-ship…)" He added under his breath, looking both worried and thoughtful.

"So, what does it say?" Asked Goofy, taking the paper from him and taking a closer look.

"Basically, it says that you wish to ally your country with Kohana, and you're the representatives." He took a kunai out of his holster and reached towards Sora. "Hold out your hand."

"What?!" Sora gulped, drawing his hand to his chest and stepping back, looking apprehensively at the knife. "What're you going to do?"

"It's a scroll; it needs to be signed in blood." He said simply, looking irritated. "Now hurry up, we spent too long doing this anyway." He twitched his fingers impatiently.

Sora gave one last glance to Donald and Goofy, who both looked apprehensive at the idea, then gingerly held his hand out. Sasuke took it in his free hand and, using the tip of the kunai, nicked the end of his thumb. Sora pulled his hand back reflexively as the sting made him wince.

"What a baby…" Sasuke snorted, shaking his head as he nicked Goofy and Donald as well.

"I hope this doesn't catch on back home…" Goofy winced, gingerly examining the small hole in his glove. After they each smeared their names onto the paper, Sasuke took it back and Naruto and Sakura leaned in to examine it.

"Sora, Donald and Goofy…" Sakura pondered. She glanced up. "Why'd you sign it like that?"

"Lke wht?" Donald mumbled as he sucked his stinging thumb.

"Like that." She pointed at their signatures. "Why didn't you use Kanji?"

"Kanji? What's that?" Sora asked, frowning, rubbing his stinging thumb.

"Well, its how we write!" Naruto counter-frowned. "How else would we write Japanese?"

"Ja-pa-neese…? Wha-! WAIT A MINUTE!!!" Donald suddenly yelled, startling the group. He growled to himself, hitting the side of his head in irritation. "Why didn't figure it out sooner?!?"

"What? What is it?" asked Sora nervously, not liking the way Donald was pacing back and forth.

"I know where we are! We're in…" He paused for dramatic effect. _"The Trans-Orient Dimension!!!"_

The blank looks on all sides didn't help. He sighed exasperatedly, dragging a hand down his beak. "Goofy, you should know about this place!"

"Hmm…" He pondered, bringing a hand to his chin and looking thoughtful. "Now ya' mention it, the name sounds familiar…"

"Why?" Sora asked impatiently, looking between the two, whilst the shinobi trio looked to each other and shrugged. "What the Trans-Thingy?"

"This place is dangerous!" Donald explained, looking around warily. "Ages ago, Goofy, me and The King were exploring the outer reaches of the Gummi-routes, to see whether there were any more places out there."

"Oh yeah!" Goofy perked up, clicking his fingers. "I remember now! We were just gonna turn back when we saw one of those dark holes we fell through earlier. The King wanted to investigate on his own, so he got into one of them there auxiliary Gummi Pods and went to have a look-see."

"Go on." Sora insisted. The trio seemed interested too, having never heard of 'Gummi-routes' or this 'The King' guy.

"Well, we waited there for a long time," Donald continued. "But he didn't seem to be coming back. We started to worry, so we were going to go in after when-"

"When the pod came out again, all bashed and broken and busted up!" Goofy interrupted, spreading his arms out for emphasis. "We were really scared then, 'cause we knew The King's was an expert Gummi-flier."

"Yeah." Donald frowned, shooting a glare at Goofy for butting in. "When he got back onboard, he was really shaken up, but he _seemed_ alright, and he told us straightway what had happened. It turned out there was another realm through there, with its own lot of worlds, like in ours. He'd only run into one world, called Buddokai-Z, but with what they did to the pod, that was all the investigating he needed."

"He warned us that they go by different rules than we do," Goofy added. "That you can really get hurt badly there. They don't have a lot of Magic, and they rely on their Bodies a lot more…"

"Oh…" Sora breathed, realisation dawning on him as he rubbed the cut on his thumb with his finger. He turned and glanced behind him at the trio, who'd gotten bored with the conversation and were now drawing out plans in the ground with a stick, talking in low voices. "So that's why everything is a lot more physical here…"

"That's why The King decided to seal all the Dimension Holes up, to protect everyone in our realm from the danger. We though we'd got all of them before, that's why we didn't recognise the hole when we saw it. This place is a perfect breeding ground for Heartless!" Donald glanced nervously over his shoulder towards where the ship had crashed. "It also explains why we can't get the Gummi Ship started- It's completely out of its depth here, it doesn't know what to do. It's in shock." He surmised.

"Hey," Sakura called, beckoning them to come closer. "We need to decide on a password to keep track of who's who."

"Who's who?" Sora asked, tilting his head in confusion. "What do you mean? It's obvious, isn't it? There's only one of each person! I mean, you can't exactly become someone else, can you?" He laughed, putting his hands behind his head. His grin faded when they didn't join in, looking at him stonily. "C-can you…?"

* * *

"It's not from around here, at any rate…" Dosu confirmed, running a hand along the outside of the Gummi-ship he was perching on. He tapped a finger rhythmically on the surface and closed his eyes, focusing on the echoes he could feel. "I couldn't tell you what it's made of, but it can absorb sound. I'm hardly getting anything back." He added, glancing over his shoulder.

"Should we tell Orochimaru-san?" Kin asked, leaning against one of the only tree trunks left standing after the crash.

"Why should we bother him with trivial things like that?" Zaku called back from his look-out point. "You know how he feels about us giving him useless information, eh, Dosu?" he added, looking over his shoulder to Dosu's scowling, bandaged face.

"Do you want to risk it?" Kin asked, narrowing her eyes at Zaku's back. He said nothing, instead getting to his feet.

"You seem to be forgetting who was put in charge of this team…" Dosu warned, narrowing his visible eye at Zaku as they set off again. "You two understand that our target is just one thing, right?"

"Hn."

"Yeah, yeah…"


	4. Chapter 4

"If the six of us get separated, don't trust anyone even if he looks like one of us." Sasuke said quietly to the group sat cross-legged in a circle. "There's a possibility that an enemy will transform into one of us and approach." 

"(I thought you said they don't have much Magic?)" Sora whispered, leaning over to Donald.

"Hey!" Sasuke snapped, glaring at them as Sora jerked back upright. "Pay attention. This is serious."

"I know, I know, sorry," Sora mumbled, looking away. "It's just that- When you say transform, you mean Magic, right?"

"Magic?" Naruto said incredulously. "Fairy-tale stuff? Don't be stupid, we use Chakra." Donald started, glaring at the blonde haired shinobi. When he raised an eyebrow to the duck, Donald gave him a venomous look, mumbling "(What's he mean Fairy-tale stuff, I'll give his what for, dog-gone little kid, who does he think he is, bad-mouthing Magic like that, if Yen Sid could hear him now, why I oughta…)"

"Chakra?" Goofy frowned, interrupting Donald's string of curses.

"Energy from the body and spirit." Sasuke surmised, looking irritated. "Look, we don't have time to go into Chakra lessons, just- trust me, alright?"

"…alright." Sora agreed, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke in annoyance. He was starting to dislike this kid…

"So, what should we do?" Sakura cut in.

"Let's decide on a password. If a different password is given, assume that he's an enemy no matter what he looks like, got it?" They all nodded in unison. Sasuke gave a surreptitious glance behind him before continuing. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully."

"First, you will ask, 'The ninja song, "Ninki"?' The answer is the following… 'It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired, and has his guard down.' That's it."

"Okay." Sakura nodded.

"Uh… Got it." Donald said, a little dubiously.

"It's a bit long…" Goofy frowned.

"What…?" Sora blinked, confused.

"Can you say it one more time…?" Naruto asked, also looking bemused. Sakura shot him a deadpan look.

"I said that I'm only going to say it once." Sasuke said with a tone of finality.

"Could you not remember it at all?" Sakura snorted, raising an eyebrow at Sora and Naruto. "You're stupid. _I_ memorised it right away."

"Erm… I-I remembered it perfectly too!" Naruto said stubbornly, trying to salvage his pride.

"Me too!" Sora nodded vigorously, not wanting to be further humiliated by the Genin.

"(I just wanted to be sure by hearing it one more time…)" Naruto muttered, shooting a glance towards Sora, who gave him an understanding, if nervous grin.

"I'll keep the scroll." Sasuke said, getting to his feet.

As he said that, a deathly silence fell on the forest. Realising this wasn't natural, they all drew / summoned their weapons, on high alert.

"You know what this feels like…?" Sora said quietly, glancing to Donald and Goofy. They nodded, scanning the ground and treetops. "You three." Sora said, getting the Genins attention. "These aren't like the enemies you've fought before. Just keep focused, and fight with all your heart. You should be all right."

"All our heart?" Naruto frowned, glancing from side to side. "What do you mean?"

"Trust me."

Sakura was the first one to see it.

"There!" She yelled, pointing to a dark shadow creeping along the floor towards them. The ninjas glanced up to find its owner, but the other three ran forward to confront the shadow itself. "What are you _doing_?!?" Sakura demanded through gritted teeth. "That's not the enemy; they're in the trees some-! Some-where…" She fell silent, however, when _the shadow_ peeled itself off the floor and seemingly inflated, growing spindly arms and legs, stringy antennae, and two yellow eyes winked into existence.

"Gotcha!" Naruto yelled, throwing a kunai at the creature. It jerked slightly as the knife dug into its forehead, but, shaking its head like a dog, it dislodged it, sending it skittering over the grass. "Ack-!" He yelped, jumping back. "W-what the hell is that thing?"

"Heartless." Sora said grimly, Kingdom Key tight in his grip. "And there's a lot more where this came from…" he added, watching the dark shapes sneak out from innumerable hiding places towards the group, who moved into a circle, back to back.

"I got it!" Donald yelled, moving into the centre of the group, raising his wand. "_THUNDAGA!"_ Suddenly, bolts of lighting shot down from the canopy and obliterated a few of the creatures, much to the ninjas' surprise.

"How the-!?!" Sasuke gasped, staring at Donald. "No Hand-seals?! What kind of Chakra is that?!?"

"Not Chakra." Said a self-satisfied Donald, grinning smugly at Naruto. "Magic."

"Whatever, as long as it works." Sasuke said as one of the creatures jumped for him. He rolled aside and slashed at it with a kunai, experimentally channelling a little Chakra into the blade as he did so. It vanished with a satisfying 'hiss'.

"Alright, Chakra seems to work well against them." Sasuke called back, moments before the group jumped into their own separate battles.

"_Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" _Sasuke whispered, performing seals with his hands before blowing through one like a blow-pipe, sending several small fireballs flying at the creatures, many of which burst into flames before fading into wisps of darkness.

_"Sonic Blade!"_ Sora yelled, slamming his heel into the ground and lunging forward at a lightning pace, six times in succession, each charge delivering a blow that dissolved the creatures on contact.

"Take that!" Sakura shouted, pulling out a length of wire and throwing the end in an arc round the seven creatures. With a quick flick of her wrist she looped the chakra-enhanced wire around each one, then pulled it taunt, slicing them all in two.

_"BLIZZAGA!"_ Donald cast, shooting a stream of ice towards a group of Shadows, freezing several in a row. "_FIRAGA!" _He added, shooting a ball of fire at the frozen creatures, which shattered on contact.

"Get off, you stupid-!" Cursed Naruto, throwing the one that had landed on his back into another one, even as one jumped on his back again. He vanished from sight as they piled on him, until a flash of smoke found the confused Heartless clawing at a log. "Surprise!" He yelled a few seconds later, throwing several Chakra-enhanced Shuriken into the creatures from the branches of a tree.

"Jump!" Goofy yelled, spinning his shield on his finger at a high speed. He threw it low to the ground, passing both through the remaining Heartless and underneath the feet of the others, before returning to him like a boomerang. He slipped it back onto his arm in time to smash it through the last Shadow, which has jumped from nowhere at him.

The whole attack took less than two minutes, but, for once, the ninjas were the ones slightly worn out.

"Now who're the unfit ones(?)" Sora grinned good-naturedly at Naruto, who gave him an equally foxy-grin.

"That… That was a weird battle…" Naruto confessed, stretching slightly. "I'm not feeling tired, but… I dunno…"

"Cold inside?" Sora finished grimly, patting his arm. "They do that to you. They go for your heart, and the stronger, the better."

"Everyone OK?" Asked Goofy, reaching into his pockets. "Here, use these." He took out six green bubble-like bottles, and handed them out to everyone. Sora and Donald took them eagerly, plucking off the lids and drinking them, the bottles shrinking and vanishing as they emptied, but the ninjas looked wary.

"Oh, don't worry, they're just Potions. They'll give you your strength back." Sora assured, wiping his lips on the back of his hand. Slightly comforted when they saw Goofy, who they'd found to be the most reliable of the team, drink one himself, they drank them back.

"Something tells me those won't be the last we see." Sasuke commented, examining his fingers where the Potion bottle had vanished. "We better move out."

"Hey, wait, Sasuke-" Naruto started, when he suddenly cut himself off with a wince. "Ouch." The others shot him a puzzled look as he reached for his cheek, which began leaking blood from a tiny cut. "What was that…?" he muttered, looking down a dark corridor of trees. Without warning, an enormous gust of wind blasted down through the forest, hardly giving them a chance to brace themselves as a dust cloud followed in its wake, blocking all of them from sight.

* * *

The Grass Genin slowly lowered his arms, a small smile spreading over his lips as he surveyed the damage a mere fraction of his power had done to the forest. His two companions stood by, seemingly unflinchingly, but both silently awed by the sheer strength of their leader.

"You two go have fun somewhere else…" He said quietly, glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. "I will go in alone from here."

_'Time to have some fun, Saskue-kun…'_

* * *

Keeping to the KH gameplay style, that would have counted as a mini-event battle. 


	5. Chapter 5

The dust cloud slowly dissipated, revealing a scene of ruin amid the newly gouged forest clearing. A 5ft deep gash scored its way through the dirt, dividing the glade in half as it disappeared into the distant darkness through the newly warped and twisted trees.

The teams were nowhere in sight.

Saskue, his ninja training kicking in on instinct, had quickly hidden under the dense foliage surrounding the clearing with a kunai tight in his grip, ready to fly. He narrowed his eyes, senses on high alert.

Behind him!

He leapt up in an instant, kunai bared as the figure gasped in surprise.

"Sakura." He said, lowering the kunai slightly. She broke out in a smile and went towards him. He caught himself just in time, lifting the knife back up as he slid quickly into a defensive stance.

"Stay back!" He warned, eying her suspiciously. "Say the password first… The ninja song, 'Ninki'?"

"Oh-!" She started, trying to bring it to memory. "Okay… It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired, and has his guard down." After she had finished, he lowered it slightly, satisfied.

"Okay." He nodded. A noise behind Sakura got both of their attentions, and they saw Sora and Goofy wearily pull themselves out of the foliage.

"Gawsh…" Goofy groaned, tugging bits of twig out of his hat. "What was _that_?"

"Hold it." Sakura warned, hands sliding to her shuriken pouch. "The password first… The ninja song, 'Ninki'?"

"Oh, man…" Sora sighed, putting his hands to his head as he struggled to remember. "Um… There's a good chance that… there's a lot of enemies about… there's nowhere to hide… um… what time is it? Erm… Everyone needs a nap when they can't guard anything?" He shrugged, smiling apologetically. The ninjas glanced at each other, wondering if that was acceptable for a non-ninja.

"…what did _he_ give us…?" Saskue said warily, nodding to Goofy.

"Oh! Potions!" He said instantly, grinning. Saskue nodded, and then looked to Goofy, but Sora stopped him with a raised hand. "Don't worry, I got this." He turned to Goofy. "Who's the Pumpkin King?"

"Hmm… Pumpkin King…" He pondered, rubbing his chin. "(Pumpkin King…) Oh yeah!" He said, clicking his fingers. "Jack!" Sora turned and gave them a thumbs-up, grinning.

"He's clean."

"Good." Sakura nodded, glancing round. "Now all we've got to do is find Donald and Naruto." They all looked warily down the dark corridor of trees, unsure of how they missing companions had fared.

"Gawrsh…" Goofy gulped. "I hope they're gonna be alright…"

"Especially with the Heartless around here…" Sora commented, putting his hands behind his head.

"That's another thing," Saskue noted, rounding on him. "What _are_ these 'Heartless' things you're talking about? They're not from around here, are they?"

"Definitely not." Sora agreed. "They're creatures made of the hearts of people that've been taken over by the darkness. They're drawn to people with strong hearts, especially those with the pontential for evil. But if they get too strong, they can turn you into one of them…"

"Then they'd have a feast here…" Sakura admitted, leaning against a tree. "Our world's full of dark-hearted people." Saskue remained silent, his frown deepening as he looked away, a terrible memory panging in his thoughts.

"(No wonder there were so many…)" Sora whispered to Goofy. "(D'you think Donald'll be able to handle that many on his own?)"

"(Sure he will.)" Goofy replied, patting his shoulder comfortingly. "(He _is_ the court magician after all.)"

"Ouch…" Called a voice, and they turned as one to see Naruto running back to them, holding his stomach. "Hey everyone, are you okay?"

"Naruto!" Cried Sora. "Have you seen Donald?"

"Uh?" He frowned, jogging up to them. "I thought he was with you-"

"Naruto, wait a minute." Sakura said, holding her hand up as he skidded to an ungainly stop. "Say the password."

"Heh, I know." He grinned. "It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired, and has his guard down."

"Good, it's him." Sora grinned as Sakura let out a sigh of relief. Saskue, however, smirked smugly.

Naruto yelped as he leapt aside to avoid the kunai Saskue sent flying at him. "What?!? What are you doing?" He complained, sprawled out on the ground.

"What'd you do that for?!?" Sakura and Sora said in unison, looking at Saskue in shock disbelief. Sure, it seemed they didn't like each other, but to try and kill him-?!?

"This time, we have someone good enough to dodge my attack?" Saskue mumbled to himself.

"What're you taking about, Saskue-kun?" Sakura asked incredulously, staring at Saskue like he was insane.

"Yeah, Naruto said the right password and everything." Sora agreed.

"That's why we have a problem…" He replied grimly, not taking his eyes of Naruto. "Do you think he could remember such a long password?" Sakura gasped in realisation. "If I asked 'What's the password?' what do you think the normal Naruto would say?"

"'Sorry, I forgot.'" She said quietly, staring at Naruto as well. Sora and Goofy gasped and quickly summoned their weapons, changing their stances.

"And the movement he showed when he dodged my attack is different from Naruto." He summed up. "Show you real self, faker." He called out to the Naruto now squatted on the ground.

Naruto looked astonished for a second, before his eyes narrowed and his mouth melted into an evil smirk. A long tongue flicked out from between his lips and tasted the air.

"I see." The imposter said, sounding quietly impressed.

The imposter suddenly exploded with a loud bang and a burst of acrid grey smoke. When it had cleared, a much taller figure stood in its place, hand lifted to support his wide-brimmed hat.

"(But if you knew that he was going to forget it,)" He asked quietly, lifting the brim of his hat. "Why didn't you use a shorter password?"

"I knew that you were eavesdropping on our conversation inside the ground." He explained. "That's why I made a long password."

"Oh, I get it!" Goofy said. "You knew he was there, so you made up a long password Naruto was bound to forget, just to trick him!"

"Exactly."

"I see…" the figure said, sliding off his hat and holding it in front of him as his gaze became darker. "So you don't let your guard down… Looks like I can have more fun than I expected…" He flicked his tongue out again, licking his lips.

"You know that's really disgusting, don't you?" Sora asked, wincing in repulsion. The Grass Genin's smile only widened evilly.

But there was one fact they didn't take into account. With all this going on, where were their resident loudmouths?

* * *

"Why do you dog-gone kids_ always use me as a_ _CRASH MAT!?!?"_ Donald yelled, thumping his fists on the grass as he tried to wiggle out from underneath the orange-jumpsuit clad lump.

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned, frustrated at his complaining, rolling aside as his clothes smoked slightly from taking the brunt of the blast. "Maybe because you have such a _soft head_?!?"

"What?!" He snapped, getting to his feet and glaring at him. "You're one to talk-! You broke our Gummi-ship window!"

"Well, how was I to know you had a way out?!?" He snapped, getting to his feet and shaking his fist at him. "If it wasn't designed so stupidly, I would've seen the stupid door!" They growled at each other, sparks literally flying between their glares, before they turned their backs on each other, arms folded and in a huff.

"(Dumb bird…)" Naruto muttered, glaring back at him.

"(Dog-gone little kid…)" Donald replied venomously, sticking his chin in the air.

"…I wonder where the others are." Naruto asked himself, glancing around. He blinked in surprise as the immediate area suddenly got a lot darker.

He looked back to Donald, who turned and looked at him.

They blinked. Then, in unison, they looked upwards.

Donald squawked in surprise, falling flat on his behind in shock as Naruto stuttered; "So… So huge!!"

The enormous python looked down on them, tongue flicking out to taste the fear now tangible in the air, its coils easily the size of a truck tire in diameter.

"(I've never seen such a huge snake…)" Naruto muttered nervously, shuffling back and grabbing Donald's wrist. The snake slowly moved forwards, dwarfing the pair as Naruto tensed and gathered strength in his legs.

The python suddenly shot at them like a bullet, and Naruto flung himself aside, dragging Donald with him, as its head vanished in a cloud of debris as it smashed into the spot where they'd been. Naruto skidded to a stop, carrying Donald piggyback-style as he span round, immediately leaping aside as its tail lashed out towards him.

"_STOPGA!" _Donald yelled, jabbing his wand over Naruto's shoulder at the snake. It immediately froze in its tracks, muscles tense, but unable to move anything apart from its eyes, which it narrowed malevolently at the pair. Naruto's eyes widened as he slowly walked round the petrified snake, frozen like a marble statue.

"..Now that's cool." He commented, looking over his shoulder to grin at the duck. "How long does it last?"

"Usually about 20 seconds…" Donald said uncertainly, watching the snake carefully for any signs of movement. "But this world's so different, I'm not sure how reliable it's gonna be."

"Well, your magic worked on those Heartless things, right?"

"Yeah, but they're from our world. I _know_ it works against them… But with things that live _here_, I- WOUAAACKKKKK!!!!" He yelled as the snake's tail suddenly yanked the pair forward and encircled then in its crushing grip. They struggled vainly, pinned back-to-back, their arms pinned to their sides. They glanced round as they saw the snake's mouth open wider and wider, and yelled in fright as it came down over the top of them, covering them in darkness.

The snake tilted its head back as it swallowed its two-course meal, kicking and screaming, down its gullet.

* * *

The Grass Genin reached behind his back and withdrew a tightly packed black scroll with a seal on the outside from a pouch. He laughed sardonically at them, and then held it up in front of him as Sakura let out a gasp of surprise.

"(That's a scroll we need!)" She hissed to the other two.

"You want our scroll of Earth, right?" He asked Sakura and Saskue, lifting it level with his face. "Since your team have the scroll of Heaven?" His gaze moved over to Sora and Goofy. "I don't know much about you, but seeing you haven't even heard of the Chuunin Exam, I highly doubt that you're ninjas." He shrugged slowly. "Oh, well. It's just means more meat…" He slowly slid his tongue out of his mouth.

"I _sure_ hope he isn't gonna…" Goofy asked half-heartedly, having a disgusting feeling of what he was going to do.

His prediction came true as the Grass Genin lifted it up to his mouth, and wrapped his tongue round it like a snake. With a disgustingly loud squelching sound, he slowly pulled it lengthways down into his throat, before placing a hand on the other end and forcing it the rest of the way in, his throat and mouth expanding to compensate.

"(I think I'm gonna hurl…)" Sora muttered uncomfortably, raising a hand to his mouth. In a few seconds the scroll was gone, and he lowered his hand, taking a moment to recover as he rested his fingertips on his headband, shielding his face.

"(Now, let's begin…)" He said darkly, flicking his tongue out again as the group looked on with disgusted fascination. "The fight for our scrolls…" He looked up slowly, hand sliding to pull down his lower eyelid in a maniacal leer as his pupil contracted horizontally.

"By putting our lives on the line!"


	6. Chapter 6

His stare intensified, and the group felt a kind of gentle ripple of pressure emanate from him and gently pass over them.

Without warning, Sasuke and Sakura threw back their heads and shrieked their throats raw in unimaginable agony as hundreds and thousands of knives seemed to slice into their skin again and again and again and again and again and again, and when this never-ending assault left them feeling like their skin had been seared raw by red hot pokers, where even the slightest touch wracked their bodies with spasms of agony, two throwing knives shot forward and imbedded themselves deep inside their foreheads, splitting their skulls open like melons as blood burst forth like a geyser-

Then all was silent.

The pair teetered on the spot, both paralyzed by the visions they'd seen and felt, then slid forward into an undignified crouch as their knees gave way, physically unharmed.

Sora, having only felt a mild queasiness from the ripple, turned and looked back in shock. "Sasuke! Sakura!" He yelled, trying to snap them out of their stupor. He looked back and shared a concerned look with Goofy, who'd also only felt a slight sensation of queasiness. They quickly moved forward and stood between their fallen friends and the Grass Genin, weapons raised. The Genin tilted his head slightly, and he hummed quietly to himself in surprise.

"Strange… It doesn't seem to have been very effective on you… You must have strong hearts, then… Only those who can control their fears have a chance at resisting my killing intent… Either that or you _have_ no fear…" He smirked to himself, giving them a cold stare. "Seems like I can have more fun than I thought…"

"Just try it!" Sora shot back, taking a step forward and brandishing the Keyblade. He turned as Sasuke slipped onto all fours, and winced in sympathy as he vomited onto the forest floor. He glanced at Sakura, eyes glazed as shivers ran up and down her shoulders, then turned back to him, narrowing his eyes, growling slightly. "I'm not going to let you hurt them again."

"You can't stop me." He said simply, loosening the wrist of his sleeve for some reason. He paused, hand poised to pull his sleeve back, before a sly smile spread over his face. "On second thoughts… I'll let my friends take care of you two…" He brought his hands together, briefly forming the Ram seal. He then held his hands out, palms upwards, and lifted his arms, his muscles tense, as if lifting something heavy with all of his strength.

"(I recognise that movement…)" Goofy murmured, sharing a glance with Sora. Sora nodded grimly as a dark pool appeared from nowhere at the Genin's feet, and the black, spindly Shadows sprouted and spread out in a skirmish line before him. Accompanying them was a type of Heartless they'd never seen before. They resembled 'Wight Knights' in body structure, but their pipe-cleaner legs were clothed in dark green trousers ending in a pair of wooden _Geta_, their skeletal torsos covered in a mud-coloured poncho and their spidery hands were replaced by tightly coiled springs ending in four-pointed shuriken, while their faces were hidden behind white animal masks covered in red stripes, with slits for their glowing yellow eyes to peek out of.

"Shadows, Silent Masks… Keep them busy." The Genin ordered, clicking his fingers. With a spidery shudder, the Silent Masks leap up and vanished from sight while the Shadows threw themselves at the ground and slithered towards the pair. Sora rushed forward, slicing through a few Shadows with one swipe as Goofy turned on the spot, raising his shield in time to parry a lunge from a Silent Mask, shuriken hands spinning wildly.

'I can't believe it…' Sasuke thought fearfully, unable to do anything but watch the pair battle their way through the dark creatures, the Grass Genin slowly making his way around the fight towards the paralyzed ninja. 'After seeing his eyes, I was imprinted with an image of death.' A bead of sweat trickled down his temple in terror. 'Who is he…?'

"Sora, the Genin!" Goofy yelled, bracing his shield in front of his face to block the Silent Mask's attacks, their spinning hands grinding against the enchanted metal with bright yellow sparks. He slashed through a Silent Mask before he turned, and gasped at how close he was to the fallen ninja. He ran towards him, casting _Aeroga_ on Goofy before Dodge-Rolling under a Shadow's swipe and sliding in between them.

'This isn't good…' Sasuke thought desperately, turning to look at Sakura, who was still deadened from the after effects of the wave. He slowly looked back, still trying to shake off the paralysis as Sora stood defiantly in the Genin's path and the number of Heartless dwindled slowly. 'We need to run. Otherwise… only… death awaits us!'

* * *

"(GET US OUT!)" A muffled voice yelled, piercing the tranquillity of the forest, where a giant python gracefully slid from branch to branch, an unsightly bulge in its throat.

"Throw us out!" Naruto demanded, stabbing fruitlessly at the rubber-like muscles of the snake's gullet with a kunai as they compressed him from all sides. "Damn it!!!" He cursed, sighing in defeat as he laid it down. "It's no use."

"Don't say that!" Donald's muffled voice snapped, his free arm waving about a little ways from Naruto's head as the rest of him struggled his way up the snake's throat. "There's godda be a way out!"

"You're right…" Naruto muttered, grudgingly agreeing with the duck even in this situation. With some squirming, he reached into his waist pouch. "Is there something else I can use?" He pulled an object out at random just as Donald got his head into Naruto's space.

"And how is stopping for lunch going to help us?" Donald asked sarcastically, staring at the riceball with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey! It's not my fault I saved it!" Naruto snapped back, throwing it at his head. It bounced off his beak and rolled further down the throat, becoming coated in the oily stomach juices. After a few seconds, it collapsed inwards on itself as it was dissolved, enlisting a gasp of surprise and disgust from the pair. "I-It's melting!"

"D-D'you think-?" Donald gulped fearfully, giving Naruto a worried look.

"We're going to be digested like that riceball?" He nodded grimly. Suddenly, they heard a loud rumbling sound, and they found themselves being shoved roughly together as the muscles squeezed them further down the gullet of the snake. "NO!" Naruto yelled, scrabbling for a hand hold, grasping for Donald's rapidly disappearing hand. "Let us out! LET US OUT!!!"

* * *

The Genin laughed mockingly at Sora as he stood in the way, Keyblade ready and waiting to attack. "You think you can stop me?"

In reply, Sora rushed forward, swinging the Keyblade round in a wide arc towards the Genin's head. He tilted his head and easily dodged it before grabbing the weapon and ripping it out of Sora's hands, shouldering him backwards and twisting it round to grasp the hilt. Sora gasped in surprise as he ducked the Genin's swing and dodge-rolled to avoid the vertical slash, ending up behind him as it thunked into the ground. The Genin turned on the spot, resting the Keyblade on his shoulder as he smirked.

"Not much use without this, are you?" He said quietly, twitching the Keyblade. He suddenly started when it vanished from his grip and re-appeared in Sora's hands like nothing had happened. He stared at him for a moment or two, and then smiled slyly, whispering under his breath. "(Interesting…)"

"What's so interesting?" Sora demanded, trying to keep his attention while Goofy, having dispatched the remaining Heartless, quietly snuck round behind him, trying to reach their two friends.

"You have no fear, you use next to no Chakra, and yet you have abilities I don't know about, which is a rarity in itself." He explained. "Plus, from what my students tell me, you arrived here from the sky. In a vessel made of sound-absorbing material. And I wouldn't do that, Dog-creature…" He added, glancing over his shoulder towards Goofy, who froze, half-way helping Sakura to her feet.

'He's going to kill us all!' Sasuke thought, dread seeping through him. 'Move! Move! Move! Move!' He ordered himself, his body moving at an agonisingly slow pace as he forced his arm to move towards his kunai pouch. 'Move! Move! Move!' He grasped a kunai by the handle and, his body twitching sporadically, brought it out and slowly pushed himself to his feet, making the Genin smirk in amusement. 'I don't care if I can only move a little bit,' He forcefully told his protesting body. 'Move!!'

"What are you going to do with that…?" The Genin asked patronisingly, his stare intensifying once again at Sasuke. Sasuke felt another jolt of fear pass over him before his body refused to listen to him anymore, no matter how he forced it.

"Stop that!" Sora ordered, anger bubbling up in his chest. "I told you, you're not going to hurt my friends again!" The Genin turned back to him, slipping a kunai out of his pocket.

"Impudent worm…" He sneered. Quicker than blinking, he threw it at Sora, who only just got his guard up before it sank into his forearm. He yelled in pain, falling to his knees and dropping the Keyblade to grab at the knife's entry point, his hand already slick with blood even as Goofy yelled in surprise. Teeth clenched in pain, blood dripping down his wrist, it was only then he realised what kind of world they were in.

This wound wouldn't be healed by _Curaga_, no matter how strong the spell was. _Guard_ wouldn't stop these enemies, no matter what kind of Keyblade he chose. Not even _Trinity Limit _wouldn't be enough to bring down these enemies. They were faster here, stronger here, smarter here:

Deadlier here.

"Pathetic." The Genin snorted as he turned away, not even acknowledging when Goofy ran past him, full pelt, to help Sora.

"S-Sora!" He stammered in shock, throwing himself down next to him, only able to stare, completely out of his depth in what to do, at Sora's wound, kunai still projecting from the deep wound in his arm.

"G-Goofy..." He grimaced, grabbing onto Goofy's shoulder. "Help… Help them…"

"Relax…" The Genin said, waking towards the other two and extracting two more kunai. "I will end it in a flash. You won't have time to suffer." He lifted them up and held them ready at head height. "I wanted to have a little more fun, but… Now I'm disappointed. Looks like your word's going to be broken." He added back to Sora, still crouched with Goofy, too far away to stop him. He flicked his wrist, sending the knives flying towards them.

A beat.

Scarlet blood flew through the air as Sora and Goofy cried out in horror.

* * *

'Am I going to die here…?' Naruto thought as he struggled to breathe, body crushed between the strong muscles of the snake, with Donald, already unconscious with lack of air. His life flashed before his eyes, as if accepting their fate, as images of people emerged from his dying memory.

'Iruka-sensei… Old-man Hokage… Konohamaru… Kakashi-sensei… Sora… Sakura-chan…'

'Sasuke… A lot has happened between me and him. We always fought with each other, but when we fought Zabuza, we cooperated and rescued Kakashi-sensei. During the Chakra training in the forest, we both stubbornly continued the tree climbing exercise.' His eyes flickered open, and widened in realization. 'Oh yeah! I haven't settled things with him yet!'

He gritted his teeth, anger building within him as he looked at his surroundings once again. 'If you're not going to throw us up,' He thought at the snake, clenching his fists. 'I'll make you!'

The python lay peacefully on the forest floor, dozing in the midday sun as it sprawled across the tree roots. At least, until…

_"Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

_

The Genin slowly walked forward, stopping just in front of a pool of blood.

Alone.

The kunai he threw were embedded in a giant tree-root, about head height, and he surveyed them with grim understanding.

"I see." He glanced up. "He's not normal prey…"

"And you expected him to be…?"

"True, true…" He agreed, turning on the spot and glancing at the woman behind him. "He's exactly what I would expect from an Uchiha. He'll be perfect for what I want."

"What _we_ want…" She reminded him, surveying him through narrowed eyes as she tightened her grip on her staff. "Don't forget our arrangement. You can summon the Heartless, but for one purpose…"

"Of course, of course…" He conceded, slowly making his way towards her.

"With him on our side, the Keybearer will soon perish, and then nothing will stop us." She continued, also making her way forward, her dark purple robes skimming over the ground.

"And then _I_ will have him." He reminded her, pulling out a kunai. "Or… perhaps I should just take him now…" He vanished from sight, and the woman turned her head slightly as an arm wrapped around her pointed shoulders and pressed a kunai against her throat. The Genin slid his head forward slightly over her shoulder, until he was cheek to cheek with the woman. "What do you say…?" He slid his tongue out, licking his lips sadistically.

"_I_ say you should have chosen a better looking face." She sneered fearlessly, looking disdainfully at his grossly elongated tongue. She vanished in a blaze of green and black flames and re-appeared a few feet behind him. "Be careful not to get the Heartless _too_ excited…" She warned, staring at the back of his head. "In a place like this, full of dark hearts, they could easily get out of control…"

"Don't worry, Maleficent …" He smirked, staring out at the forest. "I know how to keep people in check…" She narrowed her eyes again, and vanished in a burst of flames.

"Yes…" Her voice echoed through the clearing. "And so do I."

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest, in the crook of a giant tree, Sasuke sat panting next to Goofy and the grimacing Sora as Sakura knelt in front of them, eying Sasuke dourly. His breath was ragged as he stared at the self-inflicted wound of the kunai embedded in his thigh.

"Wh-What happened…?" Sora panted after a few seconds, turning to look at Sasuke, still clutching his arm. "How did we get away…?"

"Sasuke hurt himself at the last possible second…" Sakura explained grimly, moving forward to check on Sora's wound. "He got rid of the fear with pain… A shock to the system to wake him up." She gently took his arm from his grasp, and took hold of the hilt of the knife. "Brace yourself." She warned. He clenched his teeth as she pulled sharply, and couldn't help a little grunt of pain escape his lips as it came out. "You'll be fine." She consoled, taking some bandages out of her waist pouch and wrapping them round his forearm.

"…Thanks." He grinned painfully, wincing as she applied pressure. He remained silent for a few seconds, his head down. "This… really is a dangerous world, isn't it…?" He asked quietly, looking up slowly. She paused in her treatment, looking away as Goofy watched their conversation with unease. "You… you can really… … …die here, can't you…?"

The only sound around was Sasuke's tense breathing.

"…yes." She said quietly, hands clenching round the bandages in her grasp.

"It's no wonder King Mickey wanted to seal it off…" He muttered. "The power of Hearts doesn't really apply here…" Sakura sighed sadly as she glanced at Goofy, who looked equally dejected.

"Aw, c'mon Sora…" Goofy pleaded, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a little shake. "If the darkness in people's hearts works here, then the light in people's hearts is bound to work here too! Especially with people like you here…" He added, looking up at Sakura. She gave a start of surprise, and then blushed slightly, looking away.

"…yeah, you're right." Sora admitted, looking up and smiling slightly. "Thanks, Goofy." He patted the hand on his shoulder. "And thank you, Sakura." He added, giving her a bright grin. Her face flushed a bit more, and she grinned back, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

"Um… You're welcome…"

He examined the treated wound, and smiled up at her. "You're really good at that…" He added. She smiled in appreciation, and then turned to look at Sasuke, her face etched with concern as her complexion returned to normal.

"Sasuke-kun…?"

He ignored her, instead pulling the kunai out of his leg himself, also giving a little gasp of pain as he winced. He threw it aside and caught his breath, as the others looked on in concern.

"Sasuke-kun, are you oka-?!" She began, but he cut her off with a hand to her mouth, turning away and staring fearfully out into the forest.

'We need to run.' He thought, the animal instincts buzzing round his head beginning to cloud his judgement. 'He's going to find us soon. How?! How should we run?!?'

'Sasuke-kun looks so confused…" She thought sympathetically as Sora and Goofy leaned over and looked out into the forest as well. 'I've never seen him like this…' A sound behind them caught her attention, and she glanced aside. Suddenly her eyes widened in fear, and she viciously tugged his hand away. "Sasuke-kun! A Snake!"

They all looked round in surprise and cried out as they saw a gigantic snake stare down at them. They all quickly leapt away; Sasuke and Sora one way, Sakura and Goofy the other, as it stuck at them, biting down on the bark where they'd been seconds before.

"I was so upset that I even didn't notice the presence of a snake?!?" Sasuke scolded himself incredulously as he activated his Sharingan, shocked at how shook up he had been. Sakura and Goofy landed safely on another branch, and could only watch in horror as the snake slithered up a branch and shot towards the other two, mouth wide and gaping.

With his Sharingan active, Sasuke could see what Sora could not, and he gasped in terror as he saw the face of the Grass Genin stare out at him demonically from within the python.

"HA-HUAARGH!!!! DON'T GET NEAR ME!!" He yelled hysterically, grabbing handfuls of shuriken and hurling them at the snake's open mouth. Sora followed suit, pulled back his arm and summoned the Keyblade, yelling;

"_Strike Raid!!"_ He hurled it at the snake with all of his strength, and it flew, spinning into its open mouth just as the shuriken struck. The snake's mouth snapped shut as the weapons burst out of the other side of its skull, and hissed in pain before collapsing over the crook of a tree, blood flowing from the mouth.

They landed in the high branches of a tree, breathing heavily. After a moment, they glanced at each other, and saw they'd adopted similar ready positions. The edges of Sasuke's mouth twitched as Sora grinned at him.

"Looks like… you're… back to normal." Sora panted, nodding to him.

"Looks like you've figured out what to do here." He replied, nodding at the dead snake. A cracking sound got their attention, and Sasuke gasped in terror as the scales at the neck of the snake began to snap and open up as something forced its way out.

"…you can't let your guard down, even for a second…" A horrifyingly familiar voice said, as the figure slowly emerged. "Prey need to strain their minds all the time, and run around…" The Grass Genin lifted his slime-coated head and stared out at Sasuke. "In the presence of a predator…" He languidly rolled out his tongue, and tasted the air, as if testing it for the tang of fear.

Without warning, he shot forward, elongating his body to wrap around and around the tree as he slithered his way up towards the pair. They only had time to cry out in fear before he streaked towards them, his eyes wide and slitted, his hands clawing at the bark as he scrabble forward in the final pounce-

_"BLIZZAGA!"_

The Genin pulled up short as a flurry of icicles blasted the bark in front of him, freezing the patch of wood solid.

"Sorry, Sasuke." A voice called from above, and everybody looked up in surprise to see Naruto and Donald stood triumphantly in the crook of a high branch, Naruto with his arms folded and Donald idly spinning his wand in his hand.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried happily.

"Donald!" Sora and Goofy echoed joyfully.

"I forgot the password." Naruto said defiantly.


	7. Chapter 7

The Grass Genin narrowed his eyes up at the loudmouth blonde and duck, already calculating a counter-plan. It was annoying that the python didn't finish them off, but that could be easily corrected…

"Donald! Where've you been?!?" Sora shouted in concerned anger, waving his Keyblade at him. Donald winced at both the tone of voice and the memory it conjured up.

"You… _really_ don't want to know…"

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted angrily, Naruto's nonchalant attitude irritating him. "You must have come here to show off by helping us, but don't get involved! Run! He's way above our level!"

"Pssch," Donald snorted dismissively, waving his hand at him. "Rubbish! He's nothing we can't handle, right, guys?" He added, giving a thumbs up to the other two. When they didn't reply immediately, he frowned slightly, looking them over again. There was something _wrong_ about their reactions…

"Looks like you defeated that big snake…" The Genin interrupted, his elongated legs wrapped loosely round the branch like the aforementioned reptile. "Naruto-kun."

'That guy looks like a snake…' Naruto thought in disgust. 'I see. So it must have been that guy's doing.' He realised, (briefly) thinking about what happened earlier.

'There has never been a situation where things got better when _he_ came.' Sasuke thought bitterly, his irritation provoked by the thought of getting _another_ one of his frie- his… teammates hurt by this monster. He glanced towards Sora, clenching his teeth. 'What should I do…?'

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Naruto said loudly, goading the Genin. "Looks like you were picking on the weak, eh? Now that I, the great Uzumaki Naruto, am here, I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"

"'The Great Uzumaki Naruto'…?" Goofy asked a mortified Sakura, scratching his head in confusion. She put a hand over her eyes and shook her head, groaning in embarrassment.

"Just… don't ask… (And to think I thought his entrance was cool…)"

'Crap!' Sasuke thought, sending Naruto a death glare before glancing at the Grass Genin, who was becoming more and more irritated as the blonde shot his mouth off. 'All of us are going to get killed at this rate!' He gritted his teeth again, trying to spur his mind into action and think a way out of this mess. 'What should I do…?'

'Sasuke-kun…' Sakura thought sympathetically, having never seen him this stressed before.

An eerie quiet fell on the group, and as it grew longer, so the tension got thicker. All parties were on tenterhooks', aching to move, just waiting for someone to take the first step, if only to break the stalemate.

'Shit!' Sasuke eventually thought, clenching his fists in anger as he unwillingly decided on a plan. The only conclusion now was the one he had tried most to avoid… 'This is the only way I know of…' He de-activated his partial Sharingan and straightened up.

"Wait." He called out, drawing the Genin's attention. All eyes turned to Sasuke. He reached behind him, slipped his hand into his waist-pouch and drew out a white scroll, passing it between his hands. "I'll give you the scroll." There was a collective gasp at this, and the group looked on in confusion.

"What?" Sora blurted out incredulously, looking between Sasuke and the Genin. "After all you've done to get someone else's, you're going to give him yours?"

"Shut up." Sasuke said sharply, locking eyes with him and glaring angrily, his Sharingan flaring up for an instant. "It's not your place to say, outsider." He turned back to the Genin, ignoring the glare Sora shot at him. "Please. Take this and leave us in peace." He lifted the scroll up in plain sight.

"Hey, Sasuke! What are you doing?!?" Naruto demanded, pointing an accusing finger at him as Donald muttered in angry confusion. "What are you trying to do by giving the enemy our scroll?!?"

"You shut up as well!" He snapped, glaring at Naruto.

"I see… You're smart." The Grass Genin complimented, pushing his upper body away from the tree branch. "The only hope prey has from a predator is to hand over something else to eat to save itself." He locked eyes with Sasuke, and the others tensed again. The seconds ticked by as they tried to stare each other down.

"Take it." Sasuke said grudgingly, narrowing his eyes and lobbing the scroll towards him. It seemed to hang in the air as Sora, not wanting to see his new friends make a terrible mistake, pushed himself up off the branch and jumped, hand outstretched-

Before an orange blur leapt in, caught the scroll in mid-air, bounced off a tree and landed, crouched on the spot Sora had just left.

"You two-!" Sasuke yelled angrily at Sora and Naruto. "Don't butt in! Don't you understand the situation we're in-?!" He was cut off as Naruto span on the spot and smashed his fist heavily into Sasuke's face, knocking him off his feet.

"What?!" Sakura gasped in shock.

"Wh-what the heck did you do that for?!?" Sora grunted furiously, landing heavily on his stomach on a branch as Donald and Goofy made their way over to help him. Sasuke flipped over, hand-springing off a branch before he landed, hand to his face and feeling very, _very_ pissed off.

"Why you-!" He growled angrily. "Why did you do that?!?" Naruto stood, head bowed, catching his breath. He lifted his head up, teeth gritted as he panted.

"Yeah, where do you get off punching him like that?" Donald said angrily, shaking his wand at him as Goofy pulled Sora to his feet. "Now's not the time to be fighting each other!"

"I… forgot the password, so I can't make sure of this, but…" He glanced up at him. "You're a fake Sasuke, aren't you?"

"Naruto, what…" Sakura asked incredulously. "What are you saying?"

"You idiot!" Sasuke growled, clenching his fists. "I'm the real one!"

"Liar." Naruto panted.

The Grass Genin looked on amusedly, an evil smile spreading over his lips. 'He's not as stupid as he looks…'

"The idiot and coward I see in front of me right now can't be the Sasuke I know." He jabbed his finger at the Genin. "I don't know how strong he is, but there is no guarantee that he'll let us go, even if we hand over our scroll!" He bared his fist at Sasuke, and there was a hint of a plea in his voice as he continued. "_You're_ the one who is scared, the one who doesn't understand the situation." Sasuke's eyes widened, and he felt his stomach drop as he realised his words were true.

"Naruto-kun…" The Genin laughed mirthlessly, getting to his feet. He looked round. "You're correct!" He tasted the air once again with his tongue, grinning madly. The others gasped in terror as they realised as well, staring at the Genin.

"I just have to kill all of you to take the scroll…" he explained coldly, unfastening his sleeve and pulling it back to reveal a decorative tattoo on his forearm. He raised his thumb to his mouth, nicked it to draw blood and smeared a line of blood from elbow to wrist over the black marks. Naruto, sick of being toyed with, withdrew a kunai from his pouch and sprinted towards him.

"Don't mess with us!" He yelled angrily.

"Stop!" Sasuke yelled, realising the danger too late. "Run, Naruto!" He glanced towards the others. "Get out of here!"

"Damn it!" Naruto shot back as he forcibly ignored him, taking a leap into the air. "I've lost faith in you, Sasuke!"

"Naruto, wait!" Sora cried, leaping after him as he saw the Genin's smirk. He'd been against too many villains not to recognise _that_ smirk.

"Summoning Move." The Genin whispered, moving his hands in a flurry of seals. The air around him grew thicker, and a strong wind blew through the still air, slowing Naruto's decent. Thick branches snapped and splintered as something large burst out from the centre of the tree, the Grass Genin perched on its forehead. A pitch black snake, twice as large as any they'd ever seen, with a red heart-shaped symbol on its forehead, loomed up over him before slamming its upper body down on the spot he'd just jumped from, sending shards of timber flying through the air. Without warning, its tail swung up and lashed towards him, and Naruto crossed his arms, tensing to take the blow-

_"AEROGA!"_ Sora yelled, ramming shoulder first into Naruto's stomach and jabbing the Keyblade upwards. A ball of condensed air shot up around them in time to take the brunt of the reptile's attack, but they still grunted in pain as they slammed into another tree-trunk, the ball of air carving a deep dent into the wood, sending splinters into the air. It collapsed under the strain, sending the occupants tumbling head-over-heels down the bark before landing in an ungainly heap in the crook of a branch.

"Thanks…" Naruto grunted, rubbing his stomach in pain. "But… warn me next time, okay?" Sora grinned back, wincing in pain.

"Sure thing."

"Cute." The Genin laughed, staring down at the pair. "What cute prey…"

"Who're you calling 'cute', you snake-obsessed freak?" Sora yelled bravely, standing up and bringing the Keyblade up to guard. The Genin's smile widened, letting out a small laugh, and clicked his fingers.

Without warning, the snake's tail slashed through the air from the side towards the pair. Sora raised the Keyblade in guard, but it suddenly shifted course, swung _underneath_ the branch and shot upwards, smashing through the branch right where Naruto was sitting, sending him hurtling upwards through the air and tossing Sora away like a leaf in the wind, slamming him into a tree-trunk.

"Naruto/ Sora!" The others cried respectively.

Naruto grunted loudly as he smashed though branch after branch, each hit nearly shattering his spine, before a very old and very thick branch stopped him in his tracks, bringing him to a sudden stop. He cried out in pain as several shots of blood flew out from his mouth.

_Drrrumphhhh…_

Donald, stood at the sidelines, feeling pained for being unable to do anything useful, felt an electric shiver run down his spine, making him gasp in shock.

'…What was _that?_' He thought fearfully, tightening his grip on his wand as he look upwards towards Naruto. He had _never_ felt anything that magically strong before, not even around the supernatural Genie …

Gravity eventually caught hold of Naruto's limp body, and fell slowly back to earth. Sora pulled himself to his feet and looked upwards, gasping for breath.

"Eat him for now." The Genin said calmly to the Heartless Snake. The snake seemed to smile greedily as it moved its head underneath Naruto's fall, waiting to swallow him whole.

The intense magical pulse Donald had felt shook the air again, strong enough for Sasuke to feel. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise as he watched Naruto come closer to the awaiting snake.

Naruto opened his now slitted and blood red eyes.

Wide awake and seemingly reinvigorated, he flipped in mid-air, drawing back his leg as he let out a loud cry of anger. He slammed his foot heavily into the snake's nose, which, to everyone's astonishment, made its whole body quiver as its head was knocked back by the sheer force of the blow. The Genin's eyes widened in surprise as he felt his Summon recoil from his strike. He looked up at Naruto, studying him closely and surveying his differently coloured eyes.

'Is this the kid…?' He pondered, narrowing his eyes at him. Naruto landed on all fours next to Sora, who recoiled slightly, staring at Naruto in shock.

"N-Naruto…?" He asked warily, stretching a hand out to tap him on the shoulder. Naruto whipped his head round, growling and teeth bared, and Sora quickly drew his hand back. "Naruto! What… What's happened to you?" he asked anxiously. Naruto ignored him and looked back to the snake, growling fiercely at it before springing off the branch. "He… He didn't even recognise me…" Sora realised.

Naruto leapt from branch to branch, gaining speed, before lunging at the snake and grabbing its tongue in his hands, digging his fingers into its flesh. The Genin vanished from sight as Naruto dragged the snake's head with him, landing on a branch. He growled as he yanked on the tongue sharply, pulling the snake faster towards him. As soon as it got in range, he shot his hands out, digging his fingers into its nose and twisted on the spot, putting his shoulder to its scaly flesh and, yelling loudly, heaved it over his shoulder in a flip, forcing the surprised snake to lift into the air, its body streaming like a comet, before smashing it heavily into a group of enormous trees with a tremendous crash and cloud of splinters.

'A-Amazing!' Sakura thought in astonishment. 'Naruto's gone berserk! But… Why is he so strong?'

"Gawrsh…" Goofy gasped in amazement, staring at the proportionally tiny figure of Naruto silhouetted in front of the cloud of sawdust. "That's almost as strong as Hercules…"

"Stronger!" Donald corrected, staring open-mouthed at the heavily panting figure.

'That's… Naruto? How the hell did he do that?' Sasuke thought, his teeth gritted, taken-aback by the strength of his teammate. He was distracted from his thoughts by an evil laugh, and his eyes widened as the snake emerged from the cloud of splinters, completely unharmed by its collision with the trees, with the Genin once again perched on top of its head.

"A nice display of strength, there." The Genin admitted, folding his arms. "But it will take a lot more than brute force to overcome this creature." Naruto's gaze shot up to him, and he growled fiercely before leaping at him, fist drawn back in anger.

"Naruto, wait!" Sora yelled, running along a tree branch towards him. "You can't beat a Heartless like that! C'mon, guys! Let's get that thing!" He added, calling back to Donald and Goofy.

The Genin smirked as Naruto leapt towards him.

Naruto's eyes widened as the Genin lifted his hand up and blew, sending a blast of destructive fire straight at him. Naruto yelled as it struck him, blowing him back through several more branches before slamming to a stop against a tree trunk.

"(Those eyes…)" The Genin whispered to himself, staring at the figure down below fell on al fours and caught his breath. "(I am sure of it now… This is getting interesting…)"

_"RAGNAROK!"_ The Genin spun around in time to expertly dodge several frantic slashes from the Keyblade as Sora jumped at him from above. Sora pointed the blade forwards and pulled back his arm as glowing orange energy collected and grew at the tip as he hovered in mid-air. The Genin quickly clicked his fingers, and the snake lifted his tail in time to block several missiles of energy Sora shot at him, causing it to whimper in pain.

_"_We're not afraid of you! _THUNDAGA!"_ The Genin's hair crackled with static, and he back-flipped in time to avoid being struck by several bolts of lightning, which jabbed into the snake's skull like wasp-stings, causing it to shake its head and hiss in annoyance. The Genin quickly span round and swung his foot up in a roundhouse kick, smashing Donald in the stomach in mid-air as he jumped at him, sending him flying through the air, squawking in pain.

"Don't you hurt them!" Goofy yelled angrily, landing on the snake's head and running at the Genin, swing his shield. The Genin leant back slightly to avoid the wild swing, before striking out at him with several snake-jabs, which clanged loudly against the hastily lifted shield, actually hammering several dents into the Moogle-crafted metal. The Genin dropped to all fours, swinging his leg round and knocking Goofy off his feet. He quickly sprang up and grabbed Goofy's heels, twisting round and throwing him at the barely recovering Donald, so the much larger Goofy crashed into him, slamming him into the tree trunk again, knocking Goofy out and pinning Donald against the bark.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora yelled in concern, before looking back at the Genin. "I told you NOT TO HURT MY FRIENDS!" He yelled, grabbing the Keyblade in both hands and running full pelt along the back of the snake towards him. The Genin reached into his pocket and threw several shuriken at him, but they were knocked away with a single swipe, and before he knew it, Sora had reached him, yelling; _"ARS ARCANUM!"_ The Keyblade glowed brightly, and the Genin, even with all his speed, was forced to go on the defensive, blocking each slash in the flurry of powerful swipes with his counter-jabs. When the onslaught let up slightly, he straightened his arms out and grabbed Sora's wrist before he could pull back. He yanked sharply, pulling Sora forward before smashing him in the face with his elbow, knocking him head-over-heels down the snake's face. Sora, thought slightly dazed, switched his grip on the Keyblade and stabbed it into the snake's skin, clinging on as it slowed his decent, causing the unfortunate Heartless-hybrid to hiss in pain as it carved out a deep gash in its face, making it flinch violently, almost dislodging the pair. A little blood trickling from his nose, Sora pulled the weapon out and leapt out of the way of the snake's vengeful snapping jaws. He landed in the crook of a branch, panting heavily.

"(Is that the best you can do…?)" A silky voice crooned in his ear to his surprise, and Sora felt the cold tickle of a kunai tip against the skin below his ear. Sora froze in place, too tired and too scared to move. "(I must admit, it's been a while since I had to move like that, so you should feel proud for that.)" Sora slowly moved his terrified gaze to look into the face of the Genin. "(Anything to say before you die…?)" He asked mockingly, his smirk widened evilly as he stared right back at him. Sora looked panic stricken, glancing round frantically, before his eyes suddenly widened, and a small smile spread over his face with an expression of quiet confidence.

"Yeah…" He looked him defiantly in his face, grinning. _"AEROGA!"_

The Genin growled in angry surprise as a bubble of wind wrenched his arm away and pushed him back a step, just enough for Sora to jump away from him, towards where Donald and Goofy lay.

"(Little pest.)" The Genin snorted, vanishing from sight before landing on top of the snake again and glancing towards the Keyblade Wielder, who'd reached his friends and was desperately trying to wake them. "(I've wasted enough time on you. Time for my real objective…)" He glanced back up and spotted Sasuke, who had been making his way down to Naruto with Sakura.

"You're next, Sasuke-kun." He called out, stopping Sasuke in his tracks. "How will _you_ fight?" He clicked his fingers, and the snake struck out at him, its head speeding to intercept him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled in fear.

Sasuke, paralyzed by fear, could only watch as the gigantic, pitch-black python plunged through the air towards him.

The snake slammed into the figure, and a cloud of debris flew into the air and clouded the impact zone…


	8. Chapter 8

Sasuke stood, wide-eyed, mouth hanging open, as he stared disbelievingly at the spectacle a mere foot from him.

Naruto.

_Naruto_ had stopped the snake.

Naruto, the joke of the academy, dead-last, stood with his back braced against the nose of the 10-tonne snake-heartless, with a kunai embedded deep into its black scales, panting quietly over the slight hiss of smoke coming from the chakra-inflicted wound.

Sakura, staring unblinkingly at him, slowly crossed her arms and grabbed her elbows in an attempt to stop herself shaking with nervous tension.

Sora, who'd just got Donald and Goofy to their feet, joined in their staring. He'd _never_ seen anyone move that fast. _Ever._

"(Y'see what I mean about the light in people's hearts…?)" Goofy smiled rhetorically, pushing himself up and patting Sora's shoulder.

"(Y-you mean…)" He gaped, turning to Goofy and pointing towards Naruto. "(That how he…?)" Goofy nodded, glancing over to Donald, who nodded as well.

"(The power of Light isn't always used for _attacking_, you know…)" Donald added cryptically.

The Grass Genin, perched on top of the snake, peered down towards the pair with almost nonchalant curiosity.

"(…Hey.)" Naruto panted breathlessly to Sasuke, his head bowed. "(Are you hurt…)" He suddenly lifted his head and stared straight into his face, mouth open in a feral sneer, his slitted-red eyes boring deep into Sasuke's. "Scaredy Cat?"

To his credit, Sasuke kept his composure in the face of such a radical change in his teammate, but his brow furrowed ever-so-slightly, puzzled by a seemingly random phrase-

He gasped aloud, his eyes widening in shock as he remembered where it came from.

(_'Hey.' Sasuke called back to him as Naruto stood, dazed, from the attack of the two Mist-nins. He jumped at the sound of it, and looked warily at him._

_'Are you hurt…' He turned round slightly, a slightly arrogant smirk crossing his face. 'Scaredy Cat?' Naruto started, clenching his teeth together as the insult hit home. He growled angrily to himself, balling his hands into fits as Sasuke turned back round and started to walk away._

_'SASUKE!!!')_

Sasuke stared into Naruto's face in silence as the thought sunk in.

"(This idiot and coward I see isn't the Sasuke I know…)" Naruto sneered angrily, shaking his head slightly as he stared his rival down.

Sasuke slowly closed his hanging jaw as he finally realised what his teamma- …friend… had been trying to show him all along…

Without warning, a long, thick tongue wove itself around Naruto's shoulders like some macabre harness from above, and yanked him roughly into the air, kicking and growling. The rest could do nothing but watch as he frantically twisted in the air.

"Why you-!" Naruto snarled, trying to dig his newly-sharpened nails into the slimy tentacle wrapped round him, glaring at the Genin. "Let go! You snake bastard!"

'I'm surprised that the Nine-Tails kid is still alive…' The Genin mused; ignoring Naruto's squirming and cursing as he drew him within striking distance. He lifted his hands up and used the Rooster seal, leant forward and fearlessly stared into Naruto's face without flinching. 'So he got excited emotionally, and the strength of his heart let a part of the Nine-Tail's power leak out…' He gripped his own wrist in one hand, and held it steady as five balls of purple fire flickered into life at the tip of each of his fingers. 'He has grown in an interesting way.'

Naruto winced in disgust as the tip of the Genin's tongue slid underneath the hem of his jacket and pulled it roughly upwards to privately reveal his bare stomach.

Well, almost bare.

'See. Your Seal has resurfaced.' The Genin thought, the intricate patterns of pitch black stains burning darkly on the boy's pale stomach confirming his suspicions. He tilted his head slightly, studying them with mild curiosity, before he drew his flame wreathed hand back.

_"Gogyo Fuunin!"_ He said as he slammed his open hand into Naruto's stomach, enlisting a cry of agony as the cursed-flames burnt into his skin. Steam billowed out from the contact points as he peeled his fingertips away, observing the five newly cauterised marks over the existing seal.

Unaware of the ramifications of this action, Naruto's cry of pain woke Sakura from her stupor, and she turned her gaze to the person closest to the action.

"Sasuke-kun!" She yelled to him. "Please help Naruto!"

Sasuke shivered in fear as he felt a third pulse of energy radiate from Naruto- but this one was different. It felt… felt… less in sync than the other ones…

Naruto's eyes flickered rapidly between red and blue, finally settling on cool azure, before he felt the energy drain out of him, and he slumped forward, unconscious, in the Genin's slimy grip.

'Twelve years have passed since it had been sealed.' The Genin thought. 'Naruto-kun Chakra and the Nine-Tails'… energy are starting to mix together with each other…' On an afterthought, he reached forward, slipping a hand into Naruto's shuriken pouch, and withdrawing their precious Scroll of Heaven. 'But you are in the way right now.' He concluded, shifting his gaze down to the stupefied Uchiha.

Without warning, he flexed his tongue and sent Naruto hurtling over Sora, Donald and Goofy's heads without as much as a backwards glance.

"Ack-! _Graviaga!"_ Donald yelled quickly, jabbing his staff up towards Naruto. A heavy dark-purple sphere ballooned underneath him, and he was wrenched out of his flight towards it until it vanished, instead falling into Sora and Goofy's waiting arms.

"N-Naruto!" Sora asked anxiously, turning him over and leaning him up against the tree trunk. Naruto didn't respond, his head lolling against his shoulder. _"C-Curaga." _He lifted the Keyblade and tapped him gently on the shoulder. A tinkling sound rang out as a green glow appeared over his head, sprinkling him with light. There was no reaction however, aside from his breathing becoming less haggard.

"Dog-gone world rules…" Donald muttered angrily. "_Curaga_ won't work on him properly- his body won't accept magic."

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura yelled to him as he stood, rooted to the spot, before the Genin. Sasuke seemed to ignore her, staring towards where the others were struggling to rouse Naruto. 'Sasuke…' she thought helplessly, realising how he must be feeling as her vision became blurry from tears.

"Naruto is different from you, Sasuke-kun…" She said loudly, blinking away her tears. Now it was _her_ turn to be the strong one of the trio. "He's dumber, and a nuisance sometimes, but…"

"At least he's not a coward!"

Sasuke flinched as the comment hit deeper than any kunai.

"Right?!?" She persisted, desperate to get him angry, scared- anything to get him moving.

He wrenched his eyes away from Naruto and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as her words stirred a memory. A memory who's words has haunted him for years. A memory who's words echoed round his head like a mantra every night before he slept.

The last words his brother had said to him after he had slain each and every other living member of his family.

_Foolish Brother. _

_If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way…_

He could almost feel his brother's kaleidoscopically enhanced eyes burning a hole into the back of his skull.

_Run…_

'No…'

_Run…_

'No.'

_And cling to life._

"NO!" He snapped in fierce defiance, lifting his head and snapping his eyes open, his own Sharingan burning brightly in his irises. The Genin raised his eyebrows and Sakura gasped as they physically _felt_ his change in attitude.

'He is definitely part of the Uchiha clan…' the Genin smiled. 'His blood must be making him excited.'

Sasuke slowly bent his knees in a ready stance, stimulating so much of his Chakra into motion the air around him began to heat up slightly, lifting his hair up. The Genin raised his hand and wiped the streak of blood off the markings on his arm.

The Heartless-Snake simply exploded, engulfing the area in a cloud of smoke as a glittering, crystallized heart lifted into the air and vanished into the sky. Sasuke was unperturbed as the dust flew by him, his Sharingan letting him focus all his attention on the Genin.

"(What's happened to Sasuke…?)" Sora asked warily, holding Naruto steady as Goofy lifted him onto his back piggy-back style. Donald didn't answer immediately, looking between the two as the Genin slowly adopted a similar stance.

"We can't get involved." He said eventually, looking down to the forest floor.

"What?!" Sora asked incredulously, his innate sense of loyalty making itself apparent. "What're you talking about? If they're gonna fight, we've got to help him!"

"Donald's right, Sora." Goofy said calmly, re-adjusting Naruto so he wouldn't slip off. "I'm not sure _what_ he's fighting for, but Sasuke sure seems determined to win."

"But…" Sora asked helplessly, looking up at him anxiously.

"The best we can do now is to stay out of their way." Donald said with a tone of finality. "We need to get Naruto somewhere to recover."

"B-buh…" Sora protested weakly, holding his hands out to them, glancing back and forth.

"Sora! Move!" Sakura said forcefully, jumping down to him and grabbing him by the shoulders. She roughly twisted him round and shoved him forwards. "We need to get Naruto somewhere safe!"

"I…" He argued weakly, looking over his shoulder. Finally, he sighed angrily, conceiting defeat. "Alright, but we'll be back to help!" He called to Sasuke. "That's a promise!" He turned and followed the others away.

Sasuke drew a kunai and griped it with his mouth. 'I have to survive to kill my brother.' He thought grimly. 'When that thought came to my mind, I realised that I _was_ the one acting like a coward. How can someone who can't even risk his life here kill _him?'_

He charged forwards and leapt into the air.

The Genin quickly formed the Ram seal, and then lifted both hands up. Before the dark shapes could fully materialize, Sasuke flipped in mid-air, grabbing the kunai in his mouth and then throwing a volley of them at the Heartless. The ones struck dissipated instantly, but the Genin simply shifted his weight from side-to-side to avoid them. Sasuke landed on the side of a tree before launching himself at the Genin, yelling a battle-cry. He span round and shot two kicks at the Genin's head which were blocked. He twisted in mid-air as his momentum carried him over the Genin's head, slapping away his high kick. He landed in a crouch and swept his leg round to knock the group of Shadows off their feet before dragging a kunai round in a circle, making them vanish in puffs of darkness.

Sasuke leapt forward, but the Genin brushed off Sasuke's somersault kick as he tried to land a jab in Sasuke's shoulder. But hold on a second… Sasuke twisted his body in mid-air out of the way, sending a kick at the Genin's stomach as he landed. There was something… odd about this fight…The Genin backstepped before smashing his heel down where Sasuke's head had been moment's before. The Genin was far his superior, but he could actually land blows on him… Ducking under another Capoera-kick, Sasuke shot his hand out to grab the Genin's fist and knock it away. What was different…?

'I can see…' Sasuke realised. He backpedalled before sending a roundhouse kick at him. The Genin jumped _over_ the kick and well above Sasuke's head. Sasuke turned on the spot, ramming his elbow into the face of a newly-materialized Silent Mask. Suddenly, the Genin seemed to vanish from sight in a blast of dust, and Sasuke looked around wildly. He shot a hand out, grabbing the wrist of a Silent Mask in mid-air as it threw its hand at him, and slingshot it into the path of another Silent Mask before slamming his fist through both of their torsos as they struggled to untangle themselves. He heard a small booming sound as the Genin's speed increased even more. He saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, and he… he saw the Genin. He _saw_ the Genin, zigzagging around the tree branches, moving at a speed much to fast for the human eye to keep up with-

'I can _see!_" Sasuke marvelled, watching the Genin blast around the arena. Not only that… Sasuke threw himself to one side as the Genin launched a punch that dented the bark he'd been standing on. Not only that…

"I can see _you!_" He yelled, his hands flashing through seals before blowing a wide blast of fire at the Genin. He inhaled deeply again and roared another blast at him, incinerating the remainder of the Heartless. The Genin, caught in the middle of the spiral of fire, raised his hands to protect his face as the Heartless vanished in puffs of darkness.

Sasuke paused to catch his breath, and the inferno snuffed itself out in a blast of smoke. There was a moment's silence before something shot towards him _under_ the surface of the bark, and he somersaulted backwards in time to avoid the Genin's grab at his ankle. 'Good thing Kakashi's done that before.' Sasuke thought humorously.

The Genin slowly pulled himself out of the branch, breathing slightly heavier as Sasuke let out a focused breath, relaxing into a ready-stance.

'Pretty good.' The Genin thought, a small smirk on his face. 'He was able to predict where I was going to move, and attacked accordingly. He must be able to see me…" He stared at the Sharingan in his eyes, and his smile widened. 'Who needs a Heart with Eyes like that…'

* * *

"This'll do." Sakura nodded, motioning them under the arch of the roots of a giant mandrake-like tree. They'd been moving for ten minutes without stopping, and the untrained trio, after putting Naruto down, simply slumped against the bark and panted heavily. Sakura raised an irritated eyebrow at them from outside, breathing slightly lighter.

"You guys _really_ need to get in shape." Sora gave her an incredulous look, also slightly irritated.

"That's easy for you to say! You weren't fighting." She snapped her head round at him, and they winced at the killing intent she shot at him.

"…No, I _didn't_ fight, but that's because we already had a plan for such occasions, not that _you_ need to know anything about it." She spat venomously, clenching her fists and walking up to him. "_You_ didn't have to stand around and be the backup; _you_ don't have to wait for the _guys_ to fight for you-!" She suddenly drew her hand back and Sora flinched as she smashed it straight through the root, inches from the side of Sora's head, up to her elbow, making the others jump. He opened his eyes to find her face inches away from his, breathing heavily.

"(…you don't have to watch your friends risk their lives for you…)" She whispered, tears in her eyes. She slowly pulled her hand back, covering Sora's shoulder with chips of wood, before she turned around, rubbing her newly bloodied knuckled with her free hand, and walking a few steps away, looking out into the forest. Sora, slightly shaken by this outburst, caught his breath for a few seconds as he watched Sakura's shoulders shake slightly.

"(I…)" He whispered quietly, gently shaking his head. "(I-I didn't…)" He fell silent when she raised her hands to her face, and he heard her let out a small, muffled sob.

Sora looked towards the others, a guilty look on his face. Goofy gave him an awkward shrug before turning back to check on Naruto. The poor short-statured duck was still panting, even after the temporary rest, but he was still able to frown at him. He tilted his head towards her, giving him a look. He sighed to himself, and then slowly walked forward to stand behind her. He slowly put his hand on her shoulder.

"At least you know where your friends are…" She lifted her head up and looked at him, blinking away tears.

"(Wh-what?)"

"I'm sorry for insulting you on not fighting." He said quietly, looking at the ground. "I know that you care for your friends. Even those you say you don't like." He added, jabbing a thumb towards Naruto. She smiled slightly, wiping her cheeks.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't take out my frustration on you and your friends," She glanced back to the other two. "Forgive me?" They waved her apology aside, smiling up at her. She suddenly blinked, and scoffed at herself, turning away and rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hand. "(What… What _am_ I doing? Crying?)" Sora frowned, confused.

"What's wrong with crying?"

"Konoha ninjas are supposed to hide their emotions…" She sniffed, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone." Goofy smiled at her. She gave him a small smile back, before looking at Sora seriously.

"Because of the situation, I may as well tell you now. Our plan for these kinds of situations was for me to take care of the injured member of the team whilst the other one stalled the enemy. But I don't think Sasuke can handle him on his own."

"We'll help him." Sora said simply.

* * *

The Genin span round, throwing his hands down in front of him, sending a blast of compressed air at Sasuke, who narrowly dodged the gust that ripped through the trunk of a tree behind him. He landed upside-down on the underside of a branch, and then launched himself down at the Genin. The Genin look up in true surprise in time for Sasuke to wrap his legs round his neck and drag him off the edge of the branch. As they hurtled down towards the ground, Sasuke gripped the Genin's legs tightly and tightened his grip on his neck so he couldn't move his head away from what awaited below.

"I GOT YOU!" Sasuke yelled triumphantly.

The Genin's skull smashed so hard into the branch, it sent a crack streaming all the way down the tree limb, and sent a resounding crunch echoing though the forest. The Genin's hands twitched sporadically before falling limply by the sides of its head. Sasuke, breathing heavily with stored tension, un-hooked himself from the Genin's body and backflipped away, tentatively watching the almost comically balanced body for any signs of life.

The Genin's head twitched erratically, and with a sickening crunching sound, its head snapped back-

And the Genin's body dissolved into hundreds of Shadow Heartless which melted away into the bark.

'A replacement?!?' Sasuke thought in shock, before something shot by his cheek, slicing his skin and forcing him to back flip over the edge of the branch to avoid a barrage of kunai. He quickly reached into his pocket and withdrew a bundle of steel wire, which he hooked round a branch and pulled taunt, trying to slow his decent. With smoke streaming from the branch, he swung all the way around the tree and landed on a lone branch.

He turned at the sound of running footsteps in time for the Genin to sucker-punch him square in the face, and before he knew it, a punch to the stomach, a knee to the ribs and another sucker punch sent him rolling back over the branch. The Genin stood up, breathing deeply. Sasuke remained motionless as the Genin walked slowly towards him…


	9. Chapter 9

"That was too easy…" The Genin sneered, walking over to the immobile Sasuke. "You're not living up to the name of Uchiha." He looked almost disappointed as he jabbed him in the back with his toe. "Oh well. I'm going to slowly beat you, and _then_ kill you. Just like a bug…"

Sasuke opened his eyes a fraction, and sent out a weak pulse of Chakra…

Setting off the three small explosive marbles pinned to the back of the Genin's tunic. The Genin let out a cry of pain and surprise as the blast made him stumble forward. Sasuke whipped his eyes open and sprang into the air, drawing three shuriken and throwing them towards him. The Genin turned, but the projectiles whizzed by him in a wide arc, puzzling him for a few seconds. Sasuke landed on a far branch and sharply pulled his arms back. The shurikens suddenly changed course, and flew through the air back towards the Genin. The Genin's eyes widened in shock.

'These are… Sharingan-Controlled Triple Windmill Blades!' He suddenly realised- but far too late. Without warning, Sasuke yanked the wires he connected to the Shuriken, steering them to wrap around both the tree-trunk and the Genin, and pulled sharply, yanking the Genin back and slamming him into the bark as the metal wires sliced deep into the bark, incarcerating him in a tangle of cables like a fly in a web.

'You will _never_ hurt my team again!' he thought viciously, the end of the wire between his teeth as he prepared to unleash the _Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu_, his family's speciality-

When he felt a warmth stir in his chest.

He hesitated for a split-second, startled by this new feeling just above his heart, as a word popped into his head. Just one word. He'd never heard it before, and he didn't even know what it meant. But as he thought of his friends, how he had fought and defeated the person who wanted to harm them, the urge the say it became too strong. Spitting out the wire and grabbing the end in his hand, he pulled it taunt and pointed his free hand at the Genin's imprisoned form.

_"FIRAGA!"_

The air temperature suddenly plummeted as a monumental blast of fire exploded out of the palm of his hand, and icicles formed along the length of the wire from the moisture in the air before the searing heat of the fireball vaporised them as it passed. The spinning ball of fire slammed into the Genin, and he screamed in unbearable agony as the flames grinded deep into his face, the heat it generated setting the bark alight, trapping the Genin in a fiery hellhole as the sheer force of fireball snapped the Genin's head back and blasted a hole through the tree and out the other side.

Sasuke, momentarily shaking with tension from the adrenaline running through his system, slumped to his knees.

'Wh… What…' He thought numbly, rubbing his arms from the chill he'd unintentionally created, panting heavily. 'What… was _that?!?'_ He stared through the heat haze at the spot as the blaze slowly burnt itself out, leaving a scorched and blackened tree, a limp figure hanging from the wires just below a gaping hole in the wood. He panted heavily, his breath misting, lungs burning for air as he watched.

Waited.

…

…

No sign of movement.

He let out a pent-up sigh, lolling his head forward as a relieved chuckle crossed his lips. He regretted it immediately as pain shot through his aching shoulder muscles. Damn. He rolled his arm about, rubbing the spot. Well, it had to happen sooner or later. It was a miracle he'd lasted _this _long, so getting out with only a cramp or two wasn't something he was going to complain about. But still…

He looked at the hand he'd pointed at the Genin, and narrowed his eyes at it. What happened there…? He had _never _felt anything like that in his life… Ever… He touched his forefinger and thumb together a few times, his brow furrowed… What was that word he'd shouted?

_F… Fi…_

He let out a growl of irritation as he searched his memory. What _was_ that word? He'd only just said it…

His head shot up as he heard the metallic twang of snapping cables, and his eyes widened as the Genin's body stepped forward, brushing off the wires like they were nothing. The Genin took a few steps forward before bringing his hands up and forming the Ram seal.

The pupil of the golden yellow eye contracted vertically.

Immediately, Sasuke grimaced in pain as he felt his body stiffen painfully, immobilizing him where he sat crouched. Too late, he sensed the presence behind him, and he slowly turned his head to glance behind him. What looked like an elongated Shadow, exactly Sasuke's height, was crouched behind him, it's long, spindly hand buried deep into Sasuke's back up to the mid-forearm. The Neo-Shadow blinked owlishly at him and flexed its arm. Another pulse of pain shot through his body, and he grunted as he looked back round.

"I'm impressed you can use your Sharingan so well at your age." The Genin said silkily, lifting his head. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the white of the Genin's skull flash where the skin had burnt away, and the bright, golden yellow of his left eye. "And I've never felt flames so quite as hot. Not for a long while, anyway…"

The Genin took a step forward, smiling smugly, and he saw that it wasn't his skull, but pasty white skin, with a purple mark tattooed underneath his eye. The Genin spoke again, but his voice was changing; becoming deeper, silkier, and much, much crueller. "You live up to the name of Uchiha." He raised his hand to his headband and covered the symbol. He wiped his palm across it, and it changed from the three slash-marks of the Grass Village to a single musical note. The Genin's smile widened as he surveyed the paralyzed boy.

"You two are definitely brothers. You eyes say you carry more potential than Itachi."

Sasuke pulse quickened at the sound of that name, and it sent his brain whirring. Itachi? His brother? He knew his brother? He knew where he was? What was so alike? What potential?

"Who-?" Sasuke started, gritting his teeth in effort. "Who _are_ you?"

The Genin flicked his wrist, and caught the stolen Scroll of Heaven as it fell, balancing it in the palm of his hand. He narrowed his visible eye as a sly smirk crossed his lips.

"My name… is Orochimaru."

_'Orochimaru…' _Sasuke thought, a flicker of recognition in his memory. 'The one with the maximum security order…'

"If you wish to see me again, get through this exam…" The Scroll of Heaven suddenly burst into bright green flames. "…like your life depended on it…" Sasuke growled under his breath, and couldn't help but remember the exam conditions and the importance of that item. "In other words, you'll have to defeat my subordinates, the three Sound ninja."

"Heh." Sasuke smirked, wincing in pain as the Neo-Shadow twisted its wrist inside his back. "What nonsense are you chattering about? I've no intention of seeing you again." Orochimaru narrowed his visible eye, his mouth a thin, hard line.

"It doesn't work that way."

He lifted his hands, and brought them together in a seal Sasuke was unfamiliar with. Without warning, his head shot up off his shoulders, his neck extending out and out like a snake. Sasuke watched, sickened and horrified, as Orochimaru's head looped once in the air before shooting towards him. Time seemed to slow down as Orochimaru opened his mouth, fangs extending from his upper-lip, hair flying wildly like a demon as he swooped down and stuck towards Sasuke's neck-

Orochimaru roared in pain and surprise as a Keyblade shot out of nowhere and slammed into his face.

He reeled back, away from Sasuke, and yelled in fury as he saw one of his fangs fly through the air, trailing a ribbon of crimson as Sora landed in a crouch next to Sasuke, the Keyblade tight in his grasp, the tip trailing a plume of smoke as it slashed through the Neo-Shadow.

"…I told you not to hurt my friends…" He said quietly, looking over his shoulder at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru reeled his head back and clutched at his mouth, and stared, speechless in rage, at the blood on his fingertips. He narrowed his eye to a slit and stared venomously at Sora with all the killing intent he could muster, his hair almost cracking with rage.

"…you…" He hissed furiously, spitting the iron-tanged fluid in Sora's direction. "You-! Insolent-! Little! _WORM!!_ You _dare-!_"

"You bet I do." Sora said proudly, grinning cheeking at him. He turned to Sasuke. "You alright?" He tilted his head in confusion at Sasuke's flabbergasted look. "You seem surprised to see me."

"You… you actually came back?" He asked in shock, staring up at him in disbelief. "Even when you could be killed?"

"Are you kidding?" Sora smiled grimly, bringing the Keyblade up to guard whilst keeping a wary eye on the seething shinobi. "I knew you'd be tough enough to take this snake-obsessed freak out." He nodded towards Orochimaru. "And anyway; you're my friend, why wouldn't I come back?"

"…Friend?" Sasuke blinked. "How can we be friends? I've only known you for a few hours!"

"Doesn't matter." He shrugged. "Friends are friends, no matter how long we've known each other."

"_ENOUGH!_"Orochimaru roared, baring his now lob-sided teeth, blood dripping over his lip. "I've heard enough of your prattling! I should have dealt with you _in the_ _first place_!" He vanished from sight and re-appeared behind the surprised pair. With one backhand swipe, he sent Sora tumbling down the branch with a grunt of pain before he could even raise the Keyblade. Orochimaru vanished again as Sora pushed himself onto all fours, looking around wildly.

"BEHIND YOU!" Sasuke yelled to him, Sharinganed eyes wide. Sora flipped over in time to see Orochimaru bearing down on him, teeth bared in rage, thrusting the kunai down at him-

The forest sky suddenly darkened, and Orochimaru froze, the tip of the kunai hovering inches over Sora's heaving chest as a deadly silence filled the area. As Sora stared wide-eyed at him, he looked out of the corner of his eye at something behind him and listened. After a few seconds, he hissed angrily to himself and turned back to the terrified Sora, moving his face until they were nose-to-nose.

"(…consider yourself lucky I am merciful…)" He whispered with barely contained fury, before turning to look back at Sasuke. "Looks like you'll have to wait for my present…" He gave a sadistic grin before vanishing in a flicker of wind.

Sora stared, open mouthed, at the spot where he'd vanished. A small smile crept onto his face, and he suddenly collapsed backwards, panting in relief, a cold sweat on his forehead.

"Wh… Oh… Oh, man…" Sora gibbered, bringing his hands up to his face and grabbing his fringe in his fist. "(Th… _That_… was… _scary_…)" He admitted, letting his hair go and looked towards Sasuke. "You alright?" Sasuke didn't answer at first, instead looking up at the treetops.

"(…We have to get moving.)" He said quietly, leaning forwards and pushing himself to his feet, gritting his teeth in pain as Sora did likewise. "(He won't be gone for long.)" He turned on the spot and slowly made his way towards Sora, his eyes shadowed, limping slightly. Sora turned his head to watch him as he passed, an expression of quiet concern on his face. When the Uchiha didn't react, Sora sighed, looking down at the floor and gently shaking his head. Sasuke stopped a few feet away, head bowed.

"Oh, and…"

Sora blinked and lifted his head, looking towards him. Sasuke turned his head slightly, and Sora saw his profile in the dim light.

"(…what you did back there… well…)" His mouth quirked into a smile. "(Tha-

"_GHAAAAAAGH_!!" He suddenly screamed, tensing his body up like he'd been punched in the stomach. He let out another cry of pain as he fell to his knees, arms crossed over his stomach. Sora rushed forward, throwing himself down by him and grabbing his shoulder.

"Sasuke! What is it?!?" He demanded. Sasuke's paling face was twisted in agony, and he let out another cry of pain as his body started to shudder and convulse. Trying not to panic, Sora look around, looking vainly for someone or something nearby to help. He turned back, and hesitantly pulled one of Sasuke's arms away from his body and slowly put it over his shoulders. He slowly stood up; supporting Sasuke's shaking body as he gasped through gritted teeth

"D-don't worry!" Sora consoled, pulling his wrist to get a better grip on him as Sasuke's weight made him stagger slightly, his arm behind Sasuke's back. "W-we'll get you back to Sakura, a-and the others. We'll be able to help you…" But Sasuke was oblivious to Sora's ramblings as his head began to slump down into unconsciousness, his convulsions becoming stronger.

"H-hey!" Sora half-shouted, giving him a shake. "Stop it! You need to stay awake, alright? I can't carry you all by myself!" After a few seconds silence, the Uchiha's head lifted slightly, his teeth still tightly gritted as his shaking decreased by a few degrees. "A-alright… Now, c'mon…" He slowly started to walk forwards, and Sasuke clumsily accompanied him, his quivering legs barely able to support his weight…

* * *

Orochimaru's anger had not abated by the time he landed in the murky clearing of black thorns. 

"How _DARE_ you summon me like a common dog!" He hissed angrily, his clenched fists shaking in fury as he restrained himself from drawing a kunai.

"We made an agreement." Malificent scowled coldly, thumping the end of her staff on the floor and killing all the grass within a two foot radius. "You will _not_ kill the Keybearer personally! A Heartless must do it! Do you want the plan to fail?"

"_My_ plan has _already_ failed, thanks to you!" He interrupted with a snarl, throwing a hand out and pointing back into the forest. "That brat of a Keybearer stopped me from administering our new Seal on the Uchiha! If you hadn't interfered and held me back, the Uchiha would have been mine!" Malificent narrowed her eyes at him and curled her lip disdainfully.

"I will _not_ be spoken to that way. Control your temper." She ordered, turning her head away. "Your anger clouds your judgement."

He turned on the spot, clenching his aching teeth together and tightening his hands until a thin sliver of blood dripped from between his fingernails as he attempted to calm down. A few seconds later, his shoulders slackened slightly, and she took it as a sign to continue.

"_Your_ initial plan may have failed, but that doesn't give you the right to jeopardise _our_ plan. Anyway…" She added, turning on the spot. "I foresaw this complication, and had a back-up plan for both…"

"You're lying." Orochimaru growled, looking over his shoulder at her. She looked over her own and gave him a small smile, relishing his anger. After all, strong emotions meant strong Heartless…

"Really?" She asked rhetorically, turning back and raising her hand slightly. A puddle of darkness appeared before her, and a Neo-Shadow peeled itself off the ground and looked around, twitching. As Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, she smiled.

"Whilst _you_ may not have planted anything on him, my faithful minion has." She stretched out her hand, and the Heartless cooed quietly, rubbing its head against her fingers like a cat. "A spark of darkness now rests in the boy's heart, and is feeding off his desire for revenge. It will grow over time, feeding and strengthening his hatred… until…" She suddenly clenched her hand closed, crushing the Heartless's head and dispelling it in wisps of smoke. "It consumes him…" Orochimaru looked unblinkingly at her, seemingly unfazed by her sudden revelation.

"And if that fails…?"

"I have not been wasting my time in here…" She said cryptically. "I have been scouting out other potential targets for us to use… And I believe I've found one…" She thumped her staff on the ground, and a foot-tall translucent image of a person materialized on the grass before them. Orochimaru scrutinized the figure, watching it walk on the spot, before looking back up to her, a small smirk on his face.

"Interesting choice… Agreed…"

* * *

I must apologise if any of the characters/plot seem OOC. It's not easy trying to balance between two complicated and different Canon storylines and have them make sense. 

:-)


	10. Chapter 10

Goofy jerked his head upwards, letting out a soft grunt as he struggled to keep his eyes open in the post-sunset darkness.

"(You should sleep…)" Sakura suggested quietly, slipping her fingers under Sasuke's headband to check his temperature. She had been petrified to see Sora return supporting a half-dead Sasuke, and she immediately took him off Sora's shoulder to treat him. She demanded to know what happened, and was almost in tears by the end of Sora's description.

The trio offered to stand guard whilst she took care of him and the unconscious Naruto. But as the sun sank, tiredness caught up with them, especially the short-statured Donald, who actually fell asleep on his feet. Sora nodded off soon after him, Keyblade slack in his grasp.

"(And leave you all alone? I wouldn't feel right.)" Goofy yawned, stretching his arms above his head as he re-adjusted his seating next to the thick root. She frowned to herself, slipping her hand out.

"(His breathing is going back to normal, but he still has a high fever…)" She fell silent as she looked into Sasuke's sleeping, troubled face. Her gaze lingered there as a sigh escaped her lips. Hesitantly, she reached forward and slowly ran her fingers through his fringe. Her eyes softened as she slid her hand down the side of his face, gently stroking his cheek with her thumb. Watching this simple display of affection, Goofy gave a small smile.

"(…You really love him, doncha?)" She glanced up at him, her cheeks flushing as her jaw dropped slightly, and she stammered;

"Wh-what? Wh- what do you mean? I- I- Of course I… I _care_ about him… I mean, he's- He-He's on my team! Why shouldn't I care? I- I mean…" She shrugged, looking away as her blush deepened. "…Alright I- I do _like_ him, just like every girl in the village does… and _definitely_ more than Ino-pig… but…" She hesitantly glanced back to him and a small smile crept onto her face. "I… I just wouldn't put it that… _strongly_, y'know?"

"Yep, I think I do… Sora's looking for someone like that as well…" He nodded towards the snoozing boy. "Kairi and Riku, very special friends of his… They're all he talks about. You haven't heard of them, by any chance?" He added.

"There are ninjas from all over the country in this exam… You never know." She shrugged.

"How are they?" Goofy asked, nodding at the comatose pair. She didn't answer, continuing to stroke Sasuke's hair, looking longingly into his face before glancing up at Naruto.

"They're fine for now, but…" She left it hanging as she gave a soft sigh. She glanced over to Goofy. "…They're always there for me, and I never appreciate it …" She looked back, drawing her hand away from him as she became more serious.

"I… I have to protect them." She said firmly, drawing a kunai and squaring her shoulders. "They were always there for me, now I can be there for them."

"Don't forget about us, too." Goofy reminded her, nodding towards the sleeping Sora and Donald. "We're gonna stick with you until we-" He stopped himself, slapping a hand to his mouth. She looked to him in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

"Until you… what?" She asked warily. He curled his hand into a fist and bit his knuckle in anxiety.

"Well… I'm not sure I'm supposed to say…" He glanced anxiously to Donald's sleeping form. "Donald knows more about the rules we're supposed to follow when visiting other… places… so I'm not sure what I can tell you without endangering you…"

"And we're not in danger already?" She asked humourlessly, nodding to the night shrouded forest. He squirmed under her gaze, but remained resolute.

"I'm sorry, but I don't wanna say anything in case I say somethin' I shouldn't. But trust me, we're gonna help you three as long as we're here." She narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion, but nodded.

"Alright… But now I know you're hiding something, I'll be keeping a closer eye on you three…" Goofy just shrugged, smiling innocently at her.

"Sure thing."

A dark shape materialized on a branch high above them.

"(So… the boy survives…)" The woman whispered, the darkness hiding her from sight as she surveyed them. She smirked malevolently as he gaze fell on Sasuke's comatose form. "(Let's see if he is strong enough to survive the process…)" She slowly turned on the spot and clicked her fingers, causing the air to ripple and warp as a dark purple portal appeared in front of her.

"(I shall see you later, Sasuke.)" She promised, walking forward through the portal. "(Orochimaru may be seeking out your substitute, but I have other potentials to convince…)"

* * *

"Those creatures are _irritating_…" Neji sighed in annoyance, blinking off his Byakugan. He straightened up from his stance and walked out of the shallow depression he'd made towards the others. "They just keep appearing from nowhere…"

"Ah, but that's the beauty of them!" Lee said cheerily, shadow-boxing and kicking at the bark of the tree. "They keep on appearing, giving you endless opponents to spar with!"

"Lee, not all of us have your enthusiasm. (Or your lack of a sense of danger…)" Tenten noted, taking a sip from the drink canister. "And it's kinda stupid to fight something you don't even know about."

"That just gives me the chance to prepare for the unexpected!" Tenten sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Back to business." Neji ordered, taking out a kunai and swinging it loosely from his fingertips. "We were able to secure food and water within the first 12 hours, and right now there should be a lot of teams who are resting." He glanced up. "As planned, we'll use this time to our advantage. We will all separate and scout the area. However, whether you see another team or not, come back here." He flicked his wrist and the kunai impaled the ground between them.

"Got it?"

"Okay."

"Roger!"

"Lee, we're not using headsets, no need to say 'Roger'."

"Oh, Roger!"

"Lee… (I swear you're going to drive me mad…)"

"Okay, Break!"

* * *

Sakura awoke with a start in time to see Naruto stretching his arms as he sat up.

"Aaagh… That was a nice nap!" He yawned loudly, shaking his head to clear it.

"At least it was until you woke me up…" Donald complained grumpily, getting to his feet and rubbing the back of his neck. "(I hate sleeping outside; you always get stiff necks in the morning…)"

"At least you got some s- s- sleep…" Goofy said as he stifled a yawn. "Me and Sakura were up all night keeping you guys safe…" Sakura's face, already smiling from all this praise, suddenly lit up as Sasuke sat up with a groan.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun! You're alright!"

"…what? Did… did you nurse us?" Sasuke asked blearily, pulling the now-dried compress off his forehead and looking to her. Her grin widened as she noticed he was actually sending her a small smile! And it looked genuine!

"And Goofy." She added truthfully.

"Thank you, Goofy, Sakura!" Naruto grinned widely, looking between them. "I feel a lot better now!"

"(I'm… so glad…)" She whispered, tears of happiness welling in her eyes. The long, sleepless night had been quite traumatic on the young girl.

Something rustled the bushes, and she snapped her head round.

Standing there in the open was the strangest woman she'd ever seen. Clothed in a long flowing dress/cloak, the dark purple fabric covered her up completely, sans the end of her sleeves where her pale green hands wrapped around a long thin staff topped by a bright green jewel. A tight-fitting hood surrounded her head, which tapered out into two curling horns, and her pale, green-tinged face was both beautiful and dangerous, and she had a haughty, proud expression on her face.

"(One who is prey needs to always strain his mind and run around.)" She whispered, and Sakura was surprised she heard it from the other side of the clearing. The woman suddenly stiffened, and an insane grin spread over her face as it rapidly morphed into the face of the Grass Genin. "In front of a predator!"

Without warning, his head shot out of the body on a long neck, and the cloak collapsed in an untidy heap as he slithered along the forest floor. Sakura's eyes widened in shock, and she turned and yelled to the others;

But wait. Something was wrong.

Sakura grabbed at her throat, opening her mouth wide as she tried to speak. The others didn't notice, talking calmly amongst themselves. She tried again, but still nothing. She looked back in fright in time to see a dark creature with yellow eyes lunge at her face, mouth open, elongated claws bared-

She gasped loudly as she jerked her head up, the horrible vision waking her abruptly from sleep. She put her hand to her chest in shock, and she felt her heart racing in her chest.

"Sakura? You okay?" A voice said, and she looked up to see Sora led back against the tree root right next to her, hands behind his head. It took a few second to compose herself.

"N-nothing… Just… Just a bad dream…" She looked out towards where she had seen that strange woman, frowning to herself. "Sora… I am awake, aren't I?" She heard a light tinkling sound, and something metal tapped her gently on the head. She glanced over to Sora, Keyblade summoned and a grin on his face.

"Yep, you're awake. You just need a bit of morning pep."

"…morning?" She frowned, glancing around the sunlit area. "Is it dawn already?"

"Well, it has been for at least an hour." Sora said, getting to his feet and stretching his arms above his head. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna see if there's anything to eat round here." He started off across the clearing-

"_WAIT!"_ Sakura suddenly yelled, grabbing hold of the back of his shirt and yanking him back in mid-step with an 'Ack-!' He shot her a confused look from down on the floor. "Erm… Heh, you… don't know the area that well…" She said bashfully, scratching the back of her neck. "You… could get lost…"

"… You could've just said so." Sora muttered grumpily, picking himself up.

"Sleeping on the job and ordering your boyfriend about? That's not a very good example a Ninja…" Sora and Sakura looked up in shock at the three figures that had appeared, unnoticed, at the edge of the clearing.

The one who spoke had his face wrapped in bandages so that only one eye was revealed. He was hunched over, so the extra long sleeves of his jacket dragged across the ground, with a large amount of what appeared to be wolf-skin draped over his back. The other boy and girl were dressed in simpler clothing, and shared the same headband design from the Village of Sound.

"Can you wake Sasuke-kun?" The bandaged one asked in a mocking tone.

"We want to fight him…" The un-masked ninja said, a nasty grin spreading over his face.

_**You are weak…**_

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Sakura ordered in a voice a lot braver than she felt, jumping to her feet. "And he is _not_ my boyfriend!" She added, jabbing a finger towards Sora.

"We don't care about your silly social interactions." The girl, Kin, sneered. "Just wake the Uchiha up."

"Answer her!" Sora snapped, dropping into a ready stance, watching Goofy and Donald, awakened by the noise, slowly sneak away out of the corner of his eye. "We know that a guy called Orochimaru is behind this! What did he do to Sasuke? And why is he using Heartless?"

This caught the Sound Nin by surprise.

"We don't question what he does." The black-haired boy, Zaku, sneered. "And we're not exactly gonna blab about his plans either. Just get Sasuke!"

"You want to fight him while he's in _this_ condition?" Sakura asked in bemusement. "What are you, cowards?"

"Nothing of the sort." Zaku replied. "We want to test his abilities. But now you know about Orochimaru-sama, we can't let you tell anyone about him…" He looked to the others. "I'll kill these two. I'll even kill the Sasuke guy…"

_**You are useless…**_

"Kill him? After all the trouble Orochimaru-sama went through to get this guy?" Kin asked in mild surprise.

"This Sasuke guy is a weakling." He pointed towards him. "Look at him. He can't handle the power like we can. It's best to put him out of his misery." He made to get up, but the bandaged one, Dosu, stopped him with a raised hand.

"Wait." He had been observing them for the past few minutes, and he now narrowed an eye at Sakura. She stared straight back over Sora's shoulder, her face determined despite her lack of sleep, kunai in hand. "You… are too calm…" He lowered his arm and took a few, slow, deliberate steps towards them, studying Sakura's face.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Ste-

He suddenly stopped mid-pace, keeping the tip of his foot raised off the ground by the heel, staring at Sakura. He let out a quiet chuckle. He drew his foot back and squatted down, reaching a hand forward to gently brush the grass where he'd almost stepped.

"…how unoriginal." He said disdainfully, grabbing a handful of grass and pulling it aside to reveal a thin wire half-buried in the dirt. "The colour of the dirt indicates that it has just been dug up. The grass doesn't grow here. There's no meaning to a trap if it isn't well made…"

'N-no… no way…' Sakura thought despairingly. They'd managed to figure out her trap? How long had they been watching…?

"Ah, so _that's_ why she dragged here boyfriend away." Zaku realised. "She didn't want him to trigger it prematurely…"

"Enough talk…" Dosu said quietly, tilting his head to the side as he stared Sakura down. "Let's kill them right away…"

Sasuke gritted his teeth in his comatose state as he felt a cold shiver slowly creep through him.

"At least, after we've played with them…" Kin added as she stared at Sora the way a cat stares at a cornered mouse. In unison, all three of them lifted their hands and formed the Ram seal before slamming them on the floor, sending three thin tendrils of purple energy flowing over the ground.

"No way… they can use them too?" Sora sighed angrily, readying the Keyblade. The energy stopped halfway across the clearing, and several Heartless, mostly Silent Masks and a Soldier or two, burst out of the ground like jack-in-the-boxes, twitching and clanking. Sakura gave him a look of confusion.

"Use… what?" Sora did a double take, raising an eyebrow at her. Was she kidding?

"What do you mean, 'What'?" Sora said irritably, swinging the Keyblade to the side and running at the crowd of creatures. "The Heartless!"

"Heartless?" She frowned, eyes flicking all over the clearing. "What Heartl-?" Her eyes widened in shock as she realised what he'd stumbled into. "Sora! Wait! It's a Genjutsu!" Sakura yelled- but too late. The Pseudo-Heartless flickered and vanished before Sora's eyes, and he skidded to a stop in surprise in the centre of the clearing.

_**You cannot defeat **_**him**_** in this state…**_

Without warning, all three of the Sound-nins sprung high into the air over Sora's head towards Sakura. Sora, frustrated at being deceived, tensed his legs to jump but Sakura held her hand up, warning him not to jump. He shot her a confused look.

"Wait." She smirked, spinning the kunai round in her free hand and flexing her wrist-

Cutting through a hair-thin wire that Sora hadn't noticed before that was tied to another kunai, leading high into the treetops. With a loud booming sound, an enormous log crashed through the canopy above them on a rope, directly in the path of the Sound-nins.

"So there was a trap _above_ us too?! _Crap!"_ Dosu cursed fearfully, unable to stop his trajectory, only watching as the wooden weight barrelled through the tree branches towards him-

"Not." He suddenly smirked, clasping his hands together in a familiar seal.

Without warning, the entire log suddenly exploded, sending shards of wood flying as the newly materialized Darkball Heartless shredded the log from the inside out in a rapid burst of movement.

"A Darkball?" Sora gasped in shock. The Darkball twisted in mid-air and leered down at them evilly before dissipating into smoke just in time for the three ninjas to pass through it unharmed.

Sasuke let out a quiet groan, his face twitching as a tiny curl of black smoke escaped his lips.

"To be blunt, little girl, you have no talent." Dosu called down to Sakura, trailing wisps of Darkball behind him as they fell towards them. "People like you need to work harder!"

Sakura slowly shook her head as terrified tears welled in her eyes. This… was it. Even though Sora turned and drew back the Keyblade, readying a Strike Raid, Sakura had already worked it out. He wasn't going to make it. They were out-matched, out-numbered and Sakura had already reached the limit of her strength guarding the others.

The three Sound-nin were almost on top of her, kunai drawn. The strange Heartless shot down towards her in a column of smoke, ready to re-form behind her.

Shinobi blade and Heartless smoke loomed over her.

Sora could only stop one.

But whichever strike got through, Human or Heartless, it would finish her.

* * *

Gaara stopped walking, turning his head to look over his shoulder. On hearing his footstep falter, Kankuro and Tenmari immediately halted and looked back at him.

"Gaara?" Kankuro asked warily. Gaara ignored him, studying the treetops with his dark-ringed, sleepless eyes.

"Carry on." He muttered eventually, folding his arms over his chest. "I'll catch up."

"Catch up?" Tenmari frowned, glancing over the treetops. "What do you mean? Is someone there?" She reached behind her back and gripped the top of the giant fan attached there. "Who is it?"

"…I said I'll catch up…" Gaara repeated slowly.

"But Gaara," Kankuro started, but Gaara glanced over to them and narrowed his eyes at them. While no obvious movement was made, they winced at the level of killing intent they felt emanate from him.

"Ai-yah… Alright, alright, we're going!" Tenmari frowned, turning and jumping away in a huff. With a last annoyed, but wary, glance at Gaara, he leapt away to join her.

Gaara was left alone in the clearing.

The stopper of the gourd on his back loosened and shifted, allowing the sand inside to ooze out and trickle to the ground, where it pooled around his feet, bubbling and writhing like the surface of a swamp. Gaara himself hadn't moved, staring impassively into the forest.

"Come out now before I crush you." He ordered, an arm of sand rising from the pool around his feet. He looked to his left to see a dark figure slowly melt out of a tree trunk.

"…I have a proposition for you, my boy…" The figure whispered, a strange smile spreading over their face. With a mere whim, Gaara sent a torrent of sand blasting at the figure. They didn't react, even as the wave of sand opened up and clamped over their body like a giant claw, pinning them in place.

"…No-one sneaks up on me," Gaara said, dragging the figure forward into the light. "Though I'm impressed you got so close before I could pinpoint you exactly. What is it you want?"

Without warning, the figure vanished- simply vanished- from the sand's grip, making it crumble in on itself as Gaara's eyes widened in surprise.

What?! Nothing _ever_ escaped the Sand Coffin…

"I despise being man-handled…" An annoyed yet silky voice muttered from behind him. Gaara's surprise slowly faded, and he closed his eyes, impassive once again.

"…Alright, you've got my attention…"


	11. Chapter 11

_"Strike Raid!"_ Sora yelled, twisting his body and heaving the Keyblade at the Sound-nin so fast it cracked the air in is wake-

"Too late!" Dosu yelled, throwing the kunai in his hand at almost point-blank range-

The Darkball screeched, materializing behind Sakura, serrated jaws wide-

_"KONOHA SENPUU!"_

The Darkball screamed in pain as a green blur of movement slammed into the back of its body, propelling it forward into the three Sound-nin like a cannonball as Sakura shot her hand up and knocked the kunai away with her own with a loud _CLANG!_ The three Sound-nin let out a yell of surprise as the Darkball knocked them back, and Kin, after a quick glance behind her, twisted sharply in mid-air to avoid the Keyblade, passing so close it scraped her shoulder-blades as it shot by, plunging blade-first into the Darkball's face, making it explode in a cloud of darkness. The Sound Shinobi crashed to the ground and rolled to their feet, staring angrily into the dissipating mist of the Heartless.

"Who… Who's that…?" Sora wondered, slightly awed by the sheer speed of their attack. Was _everybody_ like this in this world, or was he just lucky…?

"Sakura's not the one who needs to work harder, you are." A voice said from within the fog.

"Who are you?" Dosu demanded, irritated by the lingering oily mist.

"Konoha's beautiful green beast…" A foot cut through the smog in a roundhouse kick, finally clearing it to reveal the figure, arm raised in a defensive stance. He wore a full body-suit, forest green, with a red forehead protector bearing the Konoha symbol around his waist. His arms were bandaged; his lower legs were covered in pale orange leg-warmers, and he had a black pudding-bowl haircut. His scowl towards the Sound-nins was accentuated by his unnaturally large eyebrows.

"Rock Lee!"

"What-? Lee?" Sakura asked, staring at the back of the newcomer's head. "Why are you here?" A smile crept onto Lee's face as he stared down his opponents.

"When you are in danger, I will appear at anytime."

_**You will never defeat him like this…**_

"…but right now, I'm your enemy too…" Sakura said hesitantly, a twinge of sadness in her voice.

"…I told you before." Lee said in a hushed voice, tilting his head slightly. "That I will protect you to the death." Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as she registered the sincerity of his tone.

"Oh…" She whispered, slightly awed by the way he kept to a vow she thought he was joking about to get her to go out with him. "…thank you." A bright grin flashed over his face before he became serious once again.

"You four will not harm Sakura again." He declared, tensing his arm and glaring at Sora and the Sound-nins. Sora started.

"Wait- What?" Sora asked bemusedly, Keyblade back in his hand. "Me? Why me? What did I do?"

"For one, you were attacking Sakura." He growled. "And another, I don't recognise your clothing or your fighting stance." He added, flicking his gaze over Sora's attire. "That makes you an enemy of mine."

"Wait, Lee!" A voice from the edge of the clearing rang out, and Donald suddenly burst out of the foliage, waving his hands towards him. "Sora's okay! He wasn't attacking her; he was protecting her from the Heartless!"

"Donald!" Sora cried happily. "Goofy!" he added as he saw him scramble out after him.

"Sorry about leavin' you like that," Goofy said apologetically, jogging to join Donald as he stood flanking the crouching Sakura. "We went to get help." He added, pointing at Lee.

"You mean he's not attacking Sakura?" Lee asked curiously, turning his head slightly to glance at him. Goofy nodded. He grinned again.

"In that case," He gave Sora a thumb's up with his free hand. "As you defended Sakura, you are now an ally! I look forward to fighting alongside you in the immediate future!" Sora just stared at him, eyebrow raised.

"Erm…" Sora muttered, slightly wary of Lee's seemingly flip-flop personality. "I… look forward to it, too…"

"Heh, seems you've got a rival…" Kin laughed scornfully, glancing over her shoulder to Sora. "This new guy seems to want to move in on your territory." She jabbed her thumb at Lee. Lee did a double-take.

"What?" Lee asked in shock, glancing between Kin and Sora. "Is this true? You have feelings for Sakura-chan? You've sworn to protect her as well?"

"Egh- What!? Feelings?" Sora gaped, looking lost. "I- Um- y-yeah, I-I said I'd protect her, but-"

"Aha!" Lee jumped in, dramatically pointing at Sora. "In that case, you are not just my ally! You are now my _rival_ for sweet Sakura's affection!" He blinked as a thought struck him, and a grin spread over his face. "I… I have a rival! Just like Gai-sensei!" He pumped his fist into the air, startling Donald and Goofy, and yelled into the forest: "Gai-sensei! Please be proud of me! I have a rival just like you!"

Sora simply stared at him, dumfounded by this extremely strange person. He looked over to Sakura, but she refused to make eye contact as she held her head in her hands, feeling mortified as a blush spread over her face.

"…are you sure there wasn't anybody else…?" Sora asked hopefully, looking to Donald. Donald shared a worried glance with Goofy.

"Maybe we were a bit _too_ hasty on accepting his help…" Donald said in a stage-whisper to Goofy.

"Hnngh…" Dosu growled angrily, narrowing his visible eye. "_Enough_ of the pointless social talk!" He reached into his jacket and extracted a Scroll with the symbol of Earth on it. "We have no other choice. Zaku, I'll give Sasuke to you." He tossed the scroll over his shoulder to Zaku. "Kin, get rid of that Key-wielding brat. I'll kill these two."

_**You are weak**_**… **_**Pathetic…**_

"(Judging from her appearance, she's not in a good state to fight right now…)" Lee whispered to himself, tilting his head to glance at Sakura. He switched his gaze to Sora. "(And I don't know anything about this guy… He doesn't even look like a shinobi, even _if_ he sent these strange Summons to find me…)" He clenched his jaw. "(No matter. Even with his help, we're still at a disadvantage- they can still summon those shadow-things. I'll have to gamble.)" His gaze flickered around the clearing, silent and calculating.

He slowly lifted his hands to his arm-bandages, and started to unwind both wrappings.

The Sound-nin were motionless.

Sora slowly moved his hand to grip the hilt of the Keyblade, his gloves making a quiet rasping sound as he tightened his grip.

Sakura felt a small shiver run up her spine as Donald and Goofy took a step backwards, effectively shielding her from the action.

_**But there is another way to be strong…**_

Dosu sprang forward as Kin turned on the spot and sprinted towards Sora. Lee continued to unwind the cloth as Dosu covered the distance between them in seconds.

"Gai-sensei…"

Sora quickly raised the Keyblade and slashed at the air, deflecting the kunai Kin had just thrown at him. Running full pelt, she flicked her wrist, yanking on the string tied to the kunai, making it return to her hand as she sliced through the air at Sora's head, who felt it cut through the tips of his hair as he ducked and rolled aside to avoid her downward slash. At the same time, Donald sent blast after blast of Firaga at Dosu, who simply swerved from side to side to dodge it, and Goofy raised his dented shield in time to deflect the flying shuriken Zaku had sent wheeling through the air at them.

"I will now use the move without reservation…"

_**There is a way to avenge your family…**_

Zaku span on the spot, clapping his hand into the Ram seal as he slammed his hands onto the ground in Sora's direction. A tendril of dark purple energy shot over the ground towards Sora as he landed a glancing blow on Kin's shoulder, knocking her back a step. Sora made to press the advantage, but stumbled as something grabbed his foot, and he looked down to see a Shadow gripping his ankle tightly as it surfaced from the ground. He glanced up as Kin ran at him with murderous intent, but thinking quickly Sora wrenched his leg up and kicked towards her, and she stumbled back as the confused Shadow burst into darkness against her stomach.

"Because now is the time to…"

Lee's eyes flew open at Sakura's gasp of shock, and, seeing Dosu almost on top of him, his hand shot to his face as he gritted his teeth, focused his energy in preparation for what would happen in the next few moments.

"Protect an important person!"

Without warning, Sora, Donald and Goofy felt a surge of familiar energy, and they all snapped their head round as Dosu swung his tightly clenched fist at Lee's head-

Lee vanished.

The trio gasped in shock.

"Wh-what?!" "Huh?" "Where'd he go?"

"He disappeared?" Dosu g-

Lee's foot slammed upwards into Dosu's chin with the force of a jackhammer, sending him careening up into the air with a grunt of pain. Lee shifted his weight and pushed off from the ground in a handspring, vanishing once again.

"Whoa!" Kin gasped, tilting her head up to follow Dosu's flight so fast she almost cricked her neck.

"Now _that's_ how to use the Light of the Heart!" Donald cheered enthusiastically, sending a Blizzaga at the stupefied Zaku, who'd also been taken aback by Lee's attack.

"I'm not done yet!" Lee yelled, suddenly flickering into existence behind Dosu at the peak of his flight, who could do little but send a surprised glance over his shoulder. The loose bandages around Lee's wrists suddenly jerked, wrapping around and around Dosu's body like they had a life of their own, binding his arms tightly to his sides and forcefully pulling his wrists together. Lee wrapped his arm around the mummified Sound-nin and grasped his own wrists to hold him fast before throwing his body back and sending them head-first towards the ground.

"That's not good!" Zaku gasped, rolling to a stop having narrowly avoided becoming flash-frozen. "He can't break his fall like that!" He lifted his hands and flashed through seals as he anxiously watched his teammate plunge to the ground.

"Take this!" Lee yelled as he shifted his weight, forcing them into a fast spinning nose-dive towards the ground. "_Omote Renge!" _The air below them suddenly danced into life, kicking up dirt like a dust-devil as they plunged down. Zaku let out a yell as he threw himself down and thrust his hands into the earth, sending dirt flying as two trails of something rushed under the ground towards Lee's attack.

_**Choose the darkness, and the power is yours…**_

The earth beneath them exploded in a cloud of dust as Dosu slammed head-first into the ground as Lee jumped away at the last possible second in a burst of speed. The cloud slowly dispersed, and everyone anxiously peered through the gloom to see what remained of Dosu.

"Heh…" Zaku sighed, grinning in relief. "Oh, boy… Looks like I made it in time…" He pulled his hands out of the ground one at a time as he surveyed Dosu, who was almost half-buried head first in a pile of loose earth with only his legs sticking out. Any other situation, Sora though grimly, and this scene would have been funny…

Dosu's legs slowly waved about and rocked backwards as Lee landed heavily on the grass in front of them, letting Dosu pull himself out of the hole, shaking his head like a dog getting water out of its ears.

"That- That can't be!" Lee gasped incredulously, his muscles aching from the effort to keep standing. Dosu let out a shiver of built up tension.

"That is a terrifying move…" He admitted, glancing over his shoulder at Lee. "I was dropped onto this spongy ground, but it still hurt like hell…"

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat, his limbs convulsing and his eyes twitching rapidly under his eyelids as a thick, tar-like substance trickled out of the corners of his mouth.

"Now it's my turn…" He muttered, turning on the spot and pulling back his right sleeve to reveal a large metal gauntlet on his forearm. His hands flickered through seals before he tightly clenched his right fist, making his whole arm shake with tension as he brought it in front of his face. Recognising the seals, Kin and Zaku immediately jumped to stand next to him and performed a set of seals in unison.

_"Ichiji-no Fusagu Oto!"_ (1) They cried, clamping their hands over their ears.

"Your moves are very fast. But our moves…" Dosu narrowed his eye.

"Are at the speed of sound._ Ninpou: Hakai no Oto!_" (2) He swung his free hand and slapped the gauntlet as hard as he could.

Sora suddenly let out a cry of pain as a deafeningly loud high-pitched screech blasted his eardrums, and he fell to his knees, grasping at his head as his vision started to painfully ripple and pulsate. His eyes streaming, he felt something warm trickle out of his ear, and he pulled a hand away to see a splotch of blood on his glove. He could just make out the others in similar states of agony; Lee was on his knees, eyes tightly closed as he clenched his jaw; Goofy had slumped back against the tree-roots, his floppy ears tight in his grasp as he yowled in pain; Donald-

Sora squinted painfully, his ears ringing as he stared at him. Donald… was alright. He blinked to clear his vision slightly. So was Sakura. But, how-?

Donald dispersed the _Aeroga _spell with a slash of his wand, shivering with nerves as he got to his webbed feet.

"…how?" Sakura asked in shock, pulling herself to her feet as she gawped at Donald.

"The sound couldn't get through the wind." He explained in a shaky voice, staring fearfully at the three Sound-nin. "It was the only thing could think of…" Sensing something was up, he'd jumped back at the last second, almost landing in Sakura's lap with a yelp as he cast the fastest spell he'd ever done, cocooning them both in condensed air to deflect the sound.

But now it was just him and Sakura left standing, and he had to admit, he wasn't that good of a fighter. He shot a regretful glance at Goofy, Sora and Lee, hands tightly clasped around their ears, and he felt his insides ache with guilt. There wasn't enough time to protect them… It was just pure luck he'd casted _Aeroga_, anyway. He'd almost cast _Stopga_ instead, but even that wouldn't have stopped the sound…

"Well, well…" Kin smirked, dropping her hands and smirking over to the still-standing pair. "Looks like two little birds avoided the cats…"

"Y-you bet we did." Donald stammered, trying to keep up his previous bravado.

"Not for long…" Dosu grinned, slipping a hand into his hip pouch and drawing two kunai. Quicker than blinking, he threw them at the pair.

"Look out!!" Sakura yelled as she forced her fatigued body to move, grabbing Donald roughly by the shoulders and pulling him out of the way-

_**Embrace the darkness!**_

"No you don't!" Zaku grinned, throwing two of his own kunai towards them with an almost manic laugh.

_**Avenge Your Family!!**_

With no time to dodge, she only had time to gasp in shock as the blades flashed through their air towards their faces-

_**KILL YOUR BROTHER!!**_

Sasuke's eyes shot open.

* * *

Akamaru growled in disgust, shaking his head form side-to-side to try and get rid of the foul taste in his mouth.

"I know what you mean, boy." Kiba gagged sympathetically, wiping his tongue on the back of his hand. "I don't know what those things were, but do _not_ try to bite them." He called back to his teammates as he scooped up Akamaru.

"Don't worry. We don't intend to." Shino said dryly, dropping his arms as the last of his bug-army retreated into his body. "Are you alright, Hinata?" He added, glancing to her.

"Oh. Y-yes, I'm fine." She replied, wrenching the last of the kunai from the tree-bark. She walked back to them and held them out. "H-here you go." Kiba took his back with a grin of thanks whilst Shino took them impassively.

"I've never seen anything like those creatures before…" Shino pondered. "You don't think they've been introduced to the Forest just for this exam, do you?"

"Aw, c'mon, Shino." Kiba snorted, elbowing him. "They wouldn't mess up the Forest system just for an Exam. How could they keep track of them when they come out of nowhere? And anyway, Kurenai-sensei would've warned us about things _this_ weird."

"W-well…" Hinata perked up shyly. "M-maybe she wasn't allowed to…" Kiba quirked an eyebrow. "W-well, there are probably restrictions on what they can tell us without getting into trouble… So we don't have an advantage over other teams…"

"Yeah, I suppose…" He conceded, putting his hands behind his head. "But weren't we supposed to cheat during the written part? Maybe we need to do it again?" Akamaru let out a proud bark from his perch on Kiba's hood. "Yeah, yeah, we _know_ you helped." He grinned, rubbing the pup's head affectionately as Hinata let out a small giggle.

"That was the first part." Shino said. "They were testing us on one set of skills there, and they're testing others now. It would be pointless to test us on the same things twice."

"Hey! Stop taking like you've done this before!" Kiba frowned, shooting him a glare. "What if they're trying to trick us and those things were all part of a Genjutsu?" A tiny frown crossed Shino's forehead.

"We would have sensed it." He said flatly, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "While I admit, they weren't normal, they were real. We're a team designed for tracking- If they can design a Genjutsu that can get by us, what chance d o t h e o t h e r t e a m s …"

Hinata's eyes widened as his movements seemed to get slower and slower, like he was moving through treacle, until he came to a complete stop, his finger stuck to the bridge of his glasses.

"Sh-Shino?" She asked warily, looking him over with concern. "A-are you okay? Sh-Shino?" A small feeling of panic erupted in her chest when he didn't answer, but remained as still as marble. "K-Kiba, what's happened to-?" She turned to Kiba, but let out a gasp of surprise, taking a step back in shock as she realised Kiba was also in a similar state, his face set in a glare towards Shino. Even Akamaru seemed to be caught in this strange trance, his tail frozen in mid-wag.

"K-Kiba…?" She stammered anxiously, glancing between them as she raised her hands to her mouth. "S-Shino? What-? What's happened to you?" She suddenly checked herself, glancing around the area as she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Wait a minute…" She clapped her hands into the Tiger seal and closed her eyes.

_"Kai!"_ She said forcefully, purposefully disrupting her Chakra for a split-second. She dropped her hands and opened her eyes, looking over to the pair- but no, they were still frozen solid.

"(N-not a Genjutsu…)" She said worriedly, her hand drifting to her shuriken pouch as she glanced around. "(S-so what is this…?)"

"My doing." She let out a gasp of surprise as she snapped her head round to the source of the sound. A tall, pale-skinned figure stepped out of the shadows and slowly lifted his head to reveal golden yellow eyes and a headband with the symbol of the Sound on it. How did he get so close without her sensing him?! Hinata grabbed a handful of shuriken and threw them as hard as she could towards him. His hand shot up, moving quicker than the eye could follow, and zigzagged erratically through the air in front of his face before he suddenly stopped, fist clenched-

All of the shuriken clasped tightly between the knuckles of his hand.

She gaped, jaw dropped. That… that was impossible… Not even her Father could do that with _that_ many shuriken… He lowered his hand, looking slightly irritated, before his face relaxed into a understanding smile.

"My girl, I understand your reaction…" The ninja sighed, shaking his head. "But you misinterpret my actions…" He took a step forward, but she took one backwards, raising her shaking hands into a defensive stance, frowning in concentration at him.

"Wh-who are y-you? Wh-what do you want?" She stammered, wincing internally at the squeak in her voice.

"My dear girl," He said sympathetically, sadly shaking his head as he let the caught shuriken slip through his fingers and drop to the ground. "I know you have every reason to distrust me, I know." He gestured to the frozen figures of Shino and Kiba. "I paralyzed your teammates. I isolated you from your friends. For all you know, I could want to kill you…" Her eyes widened in fear and she took another step backwards, but he raised his hands, shaking his head.

"No, no, no, my dear girl, you misunderstand… All was necessary- don't you see?" He slowly took a step towards her, hands wide in a non-threatening gesture. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry to frighten you, butI only want you to realise…" He fell silent. Afraid as she was, this question piqued her interest, and she lowered her hands a fraction.

"(…r-realise… wh-what…?)" She stammered, shivering slightly as she stared at him. He gave a small, warm smile, the prominent gap she now noticed in his teeth making him seem more vulnerable, more human, more appealing.

"…you are a very special girl." She blinked in surprise, taken aback by such a bold compliment.

"(A- a what…?)" She stammered, narrowing her eyes slightly, unwilling to drop her guard.

"A special girl." He repeated. "You have it in your power to put your mind to anything and be able to achieve it. And you're quite pretty for such a young girl." This brought a small flush of pink to her cheeks, even in this situation, and she dropped her gaze, hunching her shoulders slightly.

"(…n-no, I'm not…)" She whispered modestly, twitching her head from side-to-side.

"Yes you are." A kind voice said from behind her. She jerked her head up in shock to see the shinobi had vanished, and she mentally kicked herself as she span round on the spot, glancing upwards. Never forget the Ninja's number one rule: Never let your-

Coarse fingers brushed gently against her cheek. She froze on the spot, staring up into his softly smiling face, her mouth hanging open slightly as she blushed from the close contact.

G-guard… down…

"Yes… You… Are…" He said slowly, his voice like honey, gazing into her eyes as his hand seemed to flow like water to cup her cheek. "You have unlimited potential… Even for a Hyuuga…" She let out a small choking sound as he held her gaze, and she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach as her blush deepened. She moved her mouth to thank him, but all that came out was a quiet squeak as her throat tensed with embarrassment. He seemed to understand, though, and his handsome face seemed to burn into her thoughts.

"A gift…" He whispered, reaching slowly behind his back. "For my gentle angel…" He brought his hand back round and her eyes widened in shock. There in his grasp was a Scroll of Heaven, the one her team was looking for!

But at the thought of her teammates, she managed to wrench her gaze away from his eyes and push herself back from him. She fixed him with a suspicious glare.

"(Wh-why are you helping me?)"

"I want to help you pass this exam."

"(Why?)"

"Because you have the potential." He repeated, smiling gently. "This whole exam is just a way to weed out those unworthy of taking the prize. In other words, those who want to take it away from you." She narrowed her eyes at him in silence, looking between his face and the Scroll. True, the offer _was _tempting_…_ but this seemed too good to be true for her liking… For all she knew, this was part of the Exam itself…

"(H-how do I know I can trust y-you?)" She said finally, taking a step away from him. Rather than becoming angry, he simply nodded sympathetically, tilting his head as he smiled at her.

"You can't." He said bluntly, turning around and taking a few steps away from her. He nonchalantly studied the closest trees before a small smile spread over his face. "But I hope you will come to." He reached up and placed the Scroll of Heaven inside a deep knot in the side of one. "A clever girl like you can easily think of some excuse for this being here…" He turned back round and leant back against the tree as she stared at him in slight confusion.

"Just know that I'm your friend… Or at least, an acquaintance who wants to help you…" He compromised at her slight frown. He reached up and tapped his forehead-protector in salute. "Until we meet again…"

"Wait!" Hinata said hurriedly, as he was making all indications to leave. "Wh- Who are you?" He locked gazes and gave her a smile that stirred the butterflies once again.

"Just call me Oro."

Before she knew it, he had vanished, leaving a warm feeling in her chest and a faint smile on her lips.

"-have?" Shino finished, lowering his hand. He gave an uncharacteristic start, double taking where Hinata had been standing, and then looked left and right over his shoulder in confusion. "What-? Hinata?" He asked in surprise, making her spin round with a squeak.

"What?! How…?" Kiba asked bemusedly, raising a hand and pointing between her and the spot next to Shino. "How did you…?!"

"U-um…" She stammered hastily, bringing her hands together and gently pushing her index fingers together as she blushed. "…h-how did I wh-what?"

"…weren't you just standing next to us…?" Shino asked, his usual deadpan attitude returning as he got over the surprise. Hinata looked away as she continued to play with her fingers.

"U-um… N-no, I wasn't?" She asked hopefully, glancing up and sending them a small smile.

Two figures appeared unnoticed above the trio, high up in the branches of an old tree.

"That was easier than I thought…" Orochimaru grinned, his melodic tones returning to normal as he slowly collapsed the multi-levelled Genjutsu. "Such a weak minded child for a Hyuuga. 'Gentle Angel…'" He chuckled mockingly under his breath. "How pathetic…"

"That was quite a performance…" Malificent admitted, clapping her hands together sarcastically. "The stage has lost a fine actor in you…" He slowly looked up, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"My dear lady, you have no idea…"

* * *

Ai-yah, this is getting difficult to keep in Canon, especially the second half... And don't flame, please- this isn't going to be an Orichi/Hina story... (Shudder) And if you're annoyed at Hinata's reaction, think of it from her POV: a very handsome (Yes, I know he's creepy, but you can't deny he's a _bit_ good-looking_)_ shinobi's just appeared in her life and has agreed to help her. What would any other girl do, especially one as shy as her? :3  
Here are the jutsu I made up just for the Sound-nin:

(1) Temporary Sound Block  
(2) Ninja Art: Sound of Destruction

EDIT: Hmm... As this seems to be getting more popular, I was wondering if I could make a humble request of you avid readers. If anyone thinks they can do it and would be willing, I would love to see some illustrations of this as it goes along. I'd be happy to advertise your work on my Profile Page, and I'd even dedicate some chapters to you, if you wish. (I hope this doesn't sound too cheeky... ; )


	12. Chapter 12

I know, I know, you've had a long wait- As you know, my laptop died, so I've had to remeber and re-do the entire storyline.

This chapter's dedicated to Sabrepaw- The only person to show any sympathy for my circumstances.

* * *

She waited, eyes clenched tightly shut as she awaited the taste the metallic tang of blood that signified her death. When that failed to happen, she hesitantly opened her eye a crack.

_"(…SaKUrA…)"_

Her eyelids shot open in surprise at the figure stood with his back to her, one arm crossed over his chest as he held a kunai tight in his grasp.

Sasuke!

She glanced to where she had cared for him and back to confirm it, and her face broke into a joyous smile as he let the kunai slip from his grip and drop to the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!" She cried in delight, scrambling to her feet from where she'd landed with Donald. Without warning, Donald clamped his hands onto her shoulders from behind, forcing her to sit down again with a painful bump.

"What-?!" She started angrily, snapping her head round to glare at him. "What're you-?! Get off-! …me?" She trailed off as looked at him. Donald stared unblinkingly at Sasuke, his beak quivering with fright as he let out a small whimper of fear. Confused and slightly shaken by his reaction, she looked back to Sasuke-

It was then she realised that a radical change had overcome him.

_"wHo tHReW ThiS…?"_ He breathed, head bowed, his arms hanging lifeless by his sides as he leant forward and his back arched upwards like a hunchback. From what she could see, his skin had taken on the consistency of a dried-up riverbed as dark purple cracks spiderwebbed over his flesh. Sakura stared in abject shock, shivering in fear as she watched darkened flakes of skin peel away from him like volcanic ash, revealing a molten purple glow from underneath that looked more radioactive than radiant. He suddenly jerked his head to the side and stared straight into her face.

Her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a scream even as Donald's pinch grew painfully tight in his panic.

His mouth was set in a manic snarl, his teeth clenched tightly together around the other kunai as his muscles pulled his facial skin taunt, sending fissures of darkness through his tightened flesh like bolts of lighting. His Sharingan were activated, but they were horribly mutated. The pupil was a mere pinprick in an undulating crimson blot and the two outer tome were rotating so fast they resembled a band of shimmering black. The most gruesome part was that the iris seemed to flicker sporadically between crimson and sickly yellow, making his eyes flash and spark against the black sclera.

"…the- the darkness has overtaken him…" Donald whispered in terror, eyes widening.

_"Who thREW tHis?!"_ Sasuke hissed again, his jaw clenched tight. "_whO TriEd tO hUrt yOU?!" _She'd only seen this level of primal rage once before, and even the late Demon of the Mist hadn't scared her as much as this. Her jaw slowly dropped as she shivered, trying to get her mind around what was happening to him.

"(S-Sasuke-kun…)" She whispered, slowly shaking her head. "(What… What's happened to your body?)" After a moment's pause, he slowly moved his gaze down to look at his hand, watching small flakes peel away from his palm and float upwards like leaves in the wind.

His eyes flickered again.

"_Don't worry about me…"_ He breathed, and Sakura immediately noticed the change in his voice- At least, it sounded less like his throat was being shredded with each breath and there was the slightest twitch in his jaw muscles as he spoke. _"What matters is the power I can feel flowing through me…"_ He looked back into her eyes, and she saw his eyes had almost returned to the full Sharingan Red. _"I'm feeling good right now… They gave it to me…"_

"What are you muttering about?" Zaku snorted loudly, heedless of the danger. Sasuke slowly tilted his head back, straightening his spine with a faint click as he looked up at the treetops.

_"I finally understand now… I'm an avenger… I must obtain power no matter what, even if I have to make a deal with the devil and surrender my heart to the darkness…"_

"(No… It hasn't taken over…)" Dosu whispered reverently. "(I… I can't believe he'd… _willingly_ immerse himself in that much darkness…)"

_"Sakura, telL mEeeE…" _He demanded, shifting his gaze over the three Sound-nin, examining them with minute detail as his anger escalated, his voice warping and distorting with barely-constrained fury.

_"WhO ThE hELl tRieD TO huRT YOu?!"_

"I did." Zaku called out, tilting his head back, a ring of arrogant pride in his voice.

Sasuke fixed him with a predatory glare as sickly yellow started to bleed back into his eyes.

He slowly shifted his body round to face him head-on, the kunai still clenched tightly in his jaws. Dosu and Kin shuddered, automatically taking a step back from the killing intent radiating from him. He momentarily shifted his gaze and locked sights with Kin.

Without warning, she suddenly felt a sudden jolt of panic as his gaze intensified, like an icy knife deep within her chest. She unconsciously lifted her hand and placed it over her heart as a shiver of dread crept over her skin. She'd tasted the Darkness that Maleficent woman had gone on about, but she'd never… _Never _realised how potent it could be…

She flinched as the corners of his mouth suddenly jerked, revealing extremely pale gums that seemed to shine next to the dark metal of the kunai. Her breath caught in her throat, and she reflexively squeezed the flesh above her breast as she heard a low, repetitive sound crawl out of his throat, like the quiet beating of a drum.

He… He was laughing… He was laughing at her fear…

"This… This is too much for us…" Kin whispered, barely hiding the quiver of dread in her voice as he continued to gaze at her. "(The Darkness… It's just… I…)" Her breath came in short, terrified pants as his mutilated eyes burned into hers, shaking her to her core.

"(I…)"

He stared.

"(I…)"

He stared.

Her jaw dropped open, tears filling her eyes.

_He_ _stared_.

Without warning, she suddenly turned on the spot, terrified tears running down her cheeks as she almost tripped over her feet in her haste to escape.

"What-!? Where are _you_ going? Coward!" Zaku yelled in disgust, glaring at her retreating form. "Don't be afraid of this half-dead guy!" He flicked his hands through several seals, drawing Sasuke's attention.

"NO! STOP ZAKU!" Dosu yelled urgently, raising a hand in alarm. "Don't you understand?!"

"I'll kill them all with this! I'll finish this in a flash!" Zaku growled, either not hearing or ignoring Dosu's insistent demand. He lifted his hands to reveal small valves in the centre of each palm, which he aimed at the oncoming Sasuke.

"_Zankūkyokuha!_"

An enormous blast of air exploded out of the palms of his hands, filling the air with the roar of a tornado as the gust of wind ripped up a cloud of dirt, dust and grass as it shredded all in its path. Sora, having tried to struggle to his feet as his hearing slowly came back, threw himself to the ground again, gritting his teeth as the shockwaves of the blast rippled his clothes and hair. After a few long seconds, the blast died down, and Sora quickly looked over to where Sasuke, Donald, Naruto and Sakura had been.

Zaku, panting from exertion, let a smile spread over his face as he examined his handiwork. A long, deep groove had been carved out of the ground from Zaku's feet to the shredded tree roots, and the others were nowhere in sight. The only reminders in sight were a pair of kunai lying in the splinters. Goofy, saved from the brunt of the blast by throwing himself aside, gasped in shock at the level of devastation that one person could bring. Lee wasn't so fortunate- The Hidden Lotus had taken its toll on his body and dulled his reactions. He had been clipped by the edge of the attack and thrown hard against the floor, knocking him unconscious as his head slammed against the ground.

"(Donald…)" Sora said quietly, a cold dread flowing up him as he realised what happened…

"They blew up into pieces." Zaku smirked callously-

_"wHo diD?"_ Zaku gasped in shock at the voice.

_From_ _behind him._

He turned his head in time for Sasuke's hand to slam heavily into his face. The force of it threw him clear across the ground, and he rolled several times, limbs askew like a ragdoll before coming to an ungainly stop.

"Zaku!" Dosu cried. Coughing heavily, Zaku pushed himself onto his hands and knees, sending an angry glance over to Sasuke. A tickling over his cheek caused him to touch his face, and his eyes widened at the blood that had trickled from the four thin cuts on his face.

Crouched behind Sasuke were Donald, Sakura and the unconscious Naruto, looking very shaken but otherwise unharmed.

"H-how?" Sakura shivered, looking around in confusion. "H-how did we-?"

"I- I don't know…" Donald admitted, looking to Sasuke in fear.

_"thANk tHe daRKneSs…"_ Sasuke hissed to him, flexing his fingers. _"i TraNSporTed yOu ThreE oVeR ThE gROund liKe tHe sHaDOws yoU dEspIse…"_

"…and you?" Donald asked warily. Sasuke simply grinned, showing off-white, slightly pointed teeth.

Without warning, Sasuke's hands flickered through several seals, and he raised one hand to his mouth as he inhaled deeply.

_"KaTon: HouSEnKa!"_ He blew several shots of fire towards Zaku as he got to his feet.

"Don't get so cocky!" Zaku sneered, raising his arms again. "I'll erase it!" He let out another blast of air from the palm-valves towards the fireballs-

"What!?" He gasped in shock as shuriken sliced through the air from the dying embers. "There are shuriken in the fire!!" He let out a yell of pain as the shuriken sliced through the air, and he futilely tried to shield his face-

"ZAKU!" Dosu yelled. "Below you!" Zaku gasped in shock as a shadow flashed by his feet and a dark mass materialized behind him-

Sasuke grabbed Zaku's wrists and pulled his arms backwards, his foot planted firmly between his shoulder blades, forcing him into a painful crouch.

_"…yOu sEeM tO bE prOuD oF yoUr aRmS…" _Sasuke hissed, a grin spreading over his face. He leant back ever so slightly, making the muscles in Zaku's shoulders creak in protest and jolts of pain shoot down his arms. Zaku turned his head to look back at him, his eyes wide in fear as he shivered in terror.

"St- Stop it…!" He protested weakly.

"That's enough!" Sora said loudly, having recovered enough from Dosu's attack to stand without wobbling. Sasuke stiffened as Sora yelled to him, clenching his fists tighter on Zaku's wrists. "They've learnt their lesson, now let him go! This is going too far!"

Sasuke slowly moved his head round to face him, emitting a low growling hiss from the back of his throat as yellow all but coated his eyes.

_"…yoU daRE oRdeR mE AroUNd…" _He narrowed his eyes as he curled his lip in disgust. "_…oUTsidEr…"_ Sora narrowed his eyes as well, tightening his grip on the Keyblade.

"(…you sounded just like Orochimaru…)" He whispered.

Sasuke's eye twitched at the disturbing comparison, and he stared straight into Sora's face. Sora's gaze did not waver, looking right back into his mutilated eyes. Neither of them was going to give any ground… After a few tense moments, Sasuke slowly slid his foot off Zaku's back as the yellow in his eyes gradually began to fade-

He suddenly clenched his eyes shut and screwed his face up in a grimace, letting out a grunt of pain as he felt something twist deep inside his chest like a shard of glass, making him feel lightheaded. The others tensed at his sudden outburst, and Zaku winced as he dug his fingers into his wrists.

"Sasuke?" Sora said warily, slowly making his way towards him, Keyblade on guard. Sasuke remained tense as Sora came within arms reach, the thick glow from under his skin shifting like molten rock. "Sasuke, you've got to fight it. You're not like this. Don't let the darkness control-"

Sasuke's foot came out of nowhere and slammed heavily into the en-guard Keyblade, showering them both with sparks of black lightning and sending the winded Sora rolling across the forest floor.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy yelled. He threw his arms out and landed with a cry of pain as he jarred his injured forearm. Gritting his teeth, Sora lifted his head and sent him a betrayed look as Sasuke slowly lowered his leg. However, something had changed about his attitude; he tilted his head at Sora as his eyes became almost completely yellow.

_"I unDErsTand now…"_ He whispered sadistically, staring at Sora as if he was seeing him for the first time. A slow, insane grin snaked up his face. _"YoU wHo dRowN yOursELf in ThE LiGhT… yOu wILl nevEr reALise tHe pOweR you RejEct…"_

"(N-No…)" Sora grunted weakly, using the Keyblade like a crutch to help pull himself up. "(S-Sasuke… Don't… The darkness- It… it isn't the answer-)" Sasuke snarled loudly, startling the Keybearer as he bared his noticeably sharper teeth at him.

_"YES! IT! IS!" _Sasuke yelled ferociously, snapping his head back down to the terrified Zaku. He clenched his fists, digging his sharpened fingers into Zaku's arms as he slammed his foot between his shoulder blades and threw his weight backwards-

Two loud cracks rang through the forest like gunshots as Zaku screamed in anguish.

Silence.

The others stared in horror as he slowly peeled his fingers away, letting Zaku slump to the floor, unconscious from the pain, his arms twisted at unnatural angles.

Sasuke slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder.

Dosu broke out in a cold sweat as he stared at him out of the corner of his eye, a cruel grin creeping over his face.

_"…aNd thEn tHErE WaS oNe…"_

He turned on the spot and leered at him, a small chuckle escaping his lips as slivers of skin flaked off and floated upwards. _"yOu bEttEr enTerTAin mE bETTer tHan HiM…_" He took a slow step towards him, leaving an oily scorch-mark in the grass._ "AftER aLl, yoU _sAiD _YoU wAnteD tO fIghT mE…" _

Dosu let out a shuddering gasp, shivering violently but unable to flee from the demon headed inexorably towards him- A mere glance from those eyes had paralyzed him.

"(S… Sasuke-kun…)" Sakura whispered in terror, slowly shaking her head in disbelief as terrified tears welled in her eyes. What had happened to him…? "(No…)" This wasn't the boy she'd fought over in the academy…

Sasuke came to a stop a few feet away from him and slowly leant forward as the murky purple glow from beneath his skin brightened, as if excited by some primitive urge.

This wasn't the teammate she cared about during their missions…

He placed both claw-tipped hands on the grass and lowered his body to the ground, staring at the brightening light of Dosu's Heart that the Heartless eyes allowed him to see with a sadistic curiosity.

This wasn't…

The Sasuke-shelled Heartless let a cold, snake-like smile cross his face that chilled Dosu to the core as he felt a burning desire to consume it slowly rise within him…

This wasn't the boy she loved.

Sasuke suddenly let out a snarl of joy as he bared his teeth, the temptation too great, and he shot towards Dosu with the speed of a Cobra strike, faster than the others could possibly hope to react.

_"STOP!!" _Sakura screamed, hurling Donald away and thrusting her arms out in front of her as she ran to him-

A bright light flashed around Sasuke, momentarily blinding him as the tinkling chime of a broken clock filled his ears. Dosu let out a cry of fear, jumping back from the frozen figure, its claw-tipped hands suspended inches away from his face. Sasuke had literally been stopped in his tracks, frozen in midair; his right hand outstretched, his legs stretched forward in mid-stride, face set in a ferocious snarl, leaving only his eyes to dart back and forth with uncontrollable fury-

A pair of arms seized him from behind, and his eyes widened in shock at the sudden physical contact.

"(…stop.)" Sakura pleaded, burying her face into the back of his shirt.

The paralysis suddenly dropped, and he snapped his head round in a ferocious snarl, his eyes burning the sickly yellow of a Heartless.

He met Sakura's terrified gaze as tears rolled freely down her cheeks.

They stared into each other's eyes as she tightened her grip around his waist.

"…please…"

"…stop…"

He stared deep into her eyes.

The others stared timidly at the pair.

The seconds ticked by like hours as tears trickled down her face…

_…WaIt…_

Their eyes widened in unison as they both realized the same thing… Something that froze Sakura's soul…

_…HeR HeArT…_

_…SssSso bRiGht…_

Time stood still.

Without warning, Sasuke twisted on the spot, slamming his elbow heavily into her temple. She let out a cry of pain as she was thrown backwards, tasting metal in her mouth when her face smashed into the ground. Wracked with pain, she flipped over and looked up in terror as the dark creature stood over her, motionless, its face shadowed except for those horrible glowing eyes.

"(S-Sasuke…)" She pleaded, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as she stared up at him, shivering with fear. "(P-please… N-no…)"

The Heartless ignored her whimpering, flexing the fingers of its right hand with a sickening crunching sound as the joints popped and cracked. It suddenly tensed, and five sharpened points extended from his fingertips.

Silence.

He suddenly bared his teeth in a ferocious snarl, throwing his tensed arm backwards, clawed hand open wide, before he threw it forward at her chest with a triumphant roar as Sakura screamed in terror-

_**NOOOO!!**_

The hand slammed to a halt, inches away from the surface of her heaving chest, fingers twitching wildly as the muscles in the arm tensed and clenched to stop the arm from plunging deep within her Heart. Speechless, Sakura stared up at Sasuke in utter shock. Sasuke's teeth were gritted tight, drawing a few drops of blood from his gums; The molten light from beneath his skin bubbled and writhed in pure fury at having being denied the very reason for a Heartless's existence; His eyes burned, flashed and blazed in a face contorting snarl, flashing between Heartless Yellow and Sharingan Red like some macabre strobe light as he stared into Sakura's terrified face.

_"(S- S- Saaak…)"_

"-_NnNnNnNnNnNOoOoOo!!"_ He yelled loudly, his mutilated voice twisting so much it sounded positively demonic, reaching his left hand over to clench tightly around his right wrist. The right hand fingers twitched and convulsed violently, and the clawed tips just grazed the cloth of Sakura's dress, tearing a patch of fabric above her Heart before the left hand managed to wrench it away, and Sasuke staggered back a few steps in shock.

_"NnNoOooO_oo!" He hissed loudly, slowly rotating his wrist to stare, horrified, at the wickedly tipped claws. _"nO! _Ne_VeR! i WiL_l NEVER hu_RT my fRiE_nds!" He clenched his muscles and let out a cry of pain as the purple glow blazed angrily beneath his skin. _"GHAAHGH!!"_ He gritted his teeth, grimacing through the burning pain flowing through his body as he stared at his hand. _"…I dOn'_t care wha_t tHi_s power_ caN _do… _iF tHe _only way _I cAn_ obtain it _iS_ by dest_RoyInG_ my friends-" He threw his head back and defiantly roared into the forest;

"THEN I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!"

Without warning, dark purple smoke blasted out from between the fissures in his skin with a rumbling roar, making him scream in agony as his body convulsed and shuddered as the smoke escaped with the force of volcanic vents.

"What's happening?!" Sora yelled, hands over his ears as he struggled to be heard over the roar of smoke.

"He's expelling the Darkness by force!" Goofy yelled back in shock, squinting towards Sasuke. "He's fighting back using that Chakra-thing they've got!"

The purple oily mist that spewed from him flowed down and clung to the ground, as if it was too dense to stay aloft, so the others had to scramble backwards to avoid the dank smog pooling from the tortured boy. But as quickly as it expanded, it suddenly reversed course, sucking back to spin around Sasuke's feet like a whirlpool before shooting up into the air, hiding Sasuke from the others in a swirling pillar of purple darkness, which juddered and wavered as they watched.

"(…Sasuke…)" Sakura whispered tearfully, bringing her quivering hands to her mouth as she stared at the pillar of darkness, sick with worry about what was happening to him.

As they watched, the pillar seemed to flicker like a dying campfire, before it dispersed and floated up, disintegrating into nothingness. Sasuke stood, head bowed and eyes shadowed as he took slow, shuddering breaths, his skin back to its normal healthy complexion. He suddenly fell forward onto one knee and he braced both hands on the floor as dizziness overcame him.

"Sasuke!" Sakura and Sora said in unison, running to their fallen friend.

"(He… He seems to be back to normal,)" Dosu breathed in terrified relief, staring at the crouching boy. "(L-Looks like I'm okay for now…)"

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said anxiously, putting her arm over his shoulders- his skin felt like ice under his shirt. He slowly sat up and leant back, resting on his heels.

"Are… are you… alright?" Sora asked warily, placing a steadying hand on his other shoulder. He didn't react, but continued to heave in breaths like a man close to drowning.

"…You're strong." A voice called out, and the trio looked up at Dosu as he clenched a black scroll tight in his grasp. He held it out in front of him at arms length. "Sasuke-kun, we cannot defeat you." He crouched down and placed it on the ground in front of him. "Let's make a deal… Please let us leave for now." Sasuke and Sakura gave out a start of surprise, whilst Sora gave him a quizzical look.

"We might be asking too much, but we have something to confirm." He backed a few steps and crouched down, slinging the unconscious Zaku over his shoulder before straightening up. "In exchange, I will promise you this… If we are to fight each other in this exam for a second time, we will not run or hide." He turned on the spot and started to make his way out of the clearing-

"Wait." He looked back at the now-standing Sora, fists clenched by his sides as he stared at the withdrawing Nin.

"What are the Heartless doing here? Where did you get the power to call them?" He demanded. "And what do you want with Sasuke?" Dosu remained silent, staring at the boy from over his shoulder.

"…I do not know _why _the dark creatures you called Heartless are here," He admitted. "But we were given the power to summon them from our leader. As for Sasuke… We were just ordered to kill him… I cannot tell you anything else, or my life is forfeit." He turned away and continued on his way, albeit slightly unsteadily due to his unconscious teammate. Sakura and Sasuke visibly relaxed as he vanished into the undergrowth, and Sora took the cue to let out a pent-up sigh of relief. He glanced up where Goofy was crouched next to Naruto and Donald by Lee's unconscious form.

"Is everyone okay?" Sora called out as he made his way towards them, but Goofy silently held up a hand, twitching his head from side to side. Sora slowed to a stop a few paces away, raising an eyebrow at Goofy in confusion. He didn't answer; just gave a worried look at Donald.

"(Y-yeah…. He-He's okay… for now…)" Donald muttered quietly, tentatively feeling along Lee's arm for breaks. He glanced over his shoulder at Sora and gave a weak smile, even though his shoulders were still shaking from nerves. Sora gave him a troubled look.

"And… what about you?" He asked. Donald hesitated, looking back at Lee.

"Huh? Oh- Yeah, I'm… I- I'm…" He fell silent, looking sadly at the ground. He suddenly shook his head noisily from side to side before turning to frown at Sora. "Waddya mean, 'What about me'?!" He snapped, puffing his chest out. "You think I couldn't handle a Heartless without you guys? You'd only hold me back!"

Goofy gave a sideways grin to Sora, who smirked back. Fake bravado; short temper; that irritated look that meant you'd better get some rubber-insulated clothing: Yep, he was fine.

"And what about Naruto?"

"(…Ghe-heh…)" Naruto muttered blearily, a silly grin spreading over his comatose face. "(Sakura-chan, watch out … Don't worry, I'll protect you…)" Goofy gave him a confused look.

"Gawrsh, what d'you suppose we do with him?"

"Well, I could always jump-start him…" Donald suggested hopefully, wiggling his staff.

"(…Sasuke-kun…?)" Sakura asked quietly, tentatively resting a hand on his shoulder. He had gone strangely quiet, even for him, staring at his twitching right hand.

'…what was I…?' He thought, a chill creeping through him as he stared at his twitching fingertips. 'What… did I do…?" He looked up and stared into the forest without seeing it. 'What happened to me…? All… All I remember is…' He slowly looked over to Sakura, who gave him a small, weary smile. 'Is…' He blinked slowly, trying to stir his sluggish brain back into gear. '…You. You were…'

"(That sure was strange…)" Goofy admitted, scratching his head in slight confusion as he looked to Sasuke. "(Where the heck did he get the power of a Heartl-)" He suddenly stopped as something grazed the back of his raised hand. He lowered his hand to examine it and only then realised his head felt cold. He glanced up and let out a start when he found something missing

"Huh?" He frowned, feeling the top of his head. "Where'd my hat go?" He looked around in confusion until he spotted it.

Pinned to a tree by a kunai.


	13. Chapter 13

First of all, my gratitude to you patient, patient readers. I apologise immensely for leaving you in the dark all this time. I know I'm not the fastest updater, but even I have to admit, I took way too much time with this one. My sincerest apologies to you all.

Which brings me onto my second request. I really need a Beta reader for my work. Part of what took me so long was trying to structure everything right for the plot I'm going for. That's why I need someone else to help point out what sounds right and what doesn't, as well as giving me a kick if I don't update for too long. Anyone is welcome to help, as long as they don't try to take-over the story completely.

After all that- Please enjoy.

* * *

"Get the _hell_ away from him!" The trio looked up in shock as Shuriken peppered the ground around their feet, and they hastily scrambled out of the way as an angry figure brandishing a kunai landed next to Lee.

"What did you do to him?!" The girl demanded, glowering at them all. Her hair was pulled back into two tight buns on top of her head, and her dark pink vest was stained by dirt in places. For looking so innocent, it was amazing how well she resembled a sabre-tooth tiger.

"Wha-? Tenten?" Sakura gasped as she recognised the girl. "What are you taking about-?"

"Lee." Another voice said from above them, and they looked up to see a boy stood on a thick branch high above, his arms folded and eyes narrowed as he sneered down at them. Like the girl, he also wore a Leaf Village forehead protector, but his hair streamed down between his shoulder blades, tied in a loose ponytail. "What did you do to him?" Sasuke, still reeling from the after-effects, could only narrow his eyes at them in irritation.

"(Those two…)" Sasuke breathed. "(What do they want…?)"

"Cowardly hyenas; ambushing a superior opponent is bad enough," He sneered, shaking his head. "But to callously attack a fellow Leaf Shinobi is a new low, especially for your team."

"What are you talking about-?" Sora asked. "Sakura, who are these guys?"

"Neji and Tenten." Sakura explained. "Lee's team-mates."

"You bet we are." Tenten growled, crouching down next to Lee's unconscious form. "How dare you attack Lee!"

"Hey- don't make assumptions!" Donald snapped angrily. "We didn't attack him!"

"It's true!" Goofy added.

"Yeah, it was those Sound guys!" Sora backed up. Neji switched his pale gaze to Sora.

"A likely story. I don't even know who you three are, and you expect me to trust your word? Sasuke seems exhausted." He added, looking between him and Lee. "As far as I know, he's the only one of your group even remotely capable of taking him down. Lee said so himself after he challenged you. There's overwhelming proof of your guilt." He looked accusingly at Sakura.

"But it's the truth!" Sakura protested, getting to her feet. "Some Sound-nin ambushed our camp, and Lee came to help us. Only, we weren't strong enough to hold them back…"

"Really? So just how did you fend them off then?" Tenten asked sceptically.

"Well-!" Sakura started, but fell silent as she struggled to summarise it. How was she going to explain what happened, especially when she didn't understand herself…?

"Hmph." Neji frowned, misinterpreting her silence. "I see…"

"(Nngh…)" Lee suddenly groaned, drawing Tenten's attention. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head in her direction, gaze unfocused. "(Wha-? Tenten…? When did you learn Genjutsu…? You're all fuzzy…)" A bemused smile crossed his face and he lifted his hand towards her, batting at mid-air. "(Heh, fuzzy Tenten…)"

"(Oh, good grief…)" She sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation as Neji 'tch'ed his behaviour. "Look, there's only one way we're going to get a straight answer here." She glanced up at Neji. "D'you wanna do it or…?"

"You're closer."

"Alright, alright…" She twisted on the spot and gently lifted Lee's body into a sitting position. Kneeling in front of him, she gently placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his face. "Lee…?" He slowly looked up and squinted at her.

"…Fuzzy?" She gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"Wake up, Lee!" She suddenly shouted, roughly shaking him back and forwards. "What happened to that power-of-youth Gai-sensei's always going on about?" That seemed to do the trick, as Lee shook his head and looked up at her, his eyes focused.

"Eh? Tenten? Neji? What are you doing here?" He looked round at the others in confusion. "What happened?"

"We came to help you." Tenten said. Lee frowned.

"Help me?"

"They attacked you." Neji said, glaring at Sasuke.

"What? Sasuke and Sakura?" Lee looked over to the pair in shock before he remembered, shaking his head as he turned back to Tenten. "Wait- No, they didn't." This time it was Tenten and Neji's turn to be surprised.

"They didn't?"

"No, three Sound-nins attacked them, and that guy," He pointed at Sora. "He sent some summons to get help, and they found me."

"(Hey, who's he calling Summons?)" Donald hissed indignantly to Goofy.

"See? We told you!" Sora grinned. After a long stare, Neji turned his head away and closed his eyes as he let out a snort.

"You shouldn't look so guilty."

"(Neji…You and your stupid pride…) He means 'Thank you'," Tenten said apologetically. "And you!" She rounded on Lee. "What the hell were you thinking? Why did you take action on your own?" Lee squirmed under her glare, and he hugged his knees against his chest.

"Sakura-san was in danger, so as a man, I had to…"

"(Ghh… You really _are_ an idiot…)"

"Heh, I can't argue with that…" He admitted, giving a sheepish grin. Sora, Donald and Goofy shared a quiet chuckle as Neji and Tenten rolled their eyes exasperatedly. Their laughter stirred Naruto, and he opened his eyes in confusion before sitting up sharply, glancing around in fright.

"What the- Where is he? Everybody, hide!" He yelled, springing to his feet and running for cover. "No, get down!" He corrected, skidding to a stop and throwing himself on the floor, scrabbling across the ground in a panic towards Sasuke and Sakura. "Where is he, damn it-? That snake-freak's still around, and I've got to protect them, and-! And…" He fell silent, as he looked around again, blinking at the surprised faces staring at him. "Eh? What're you guys doing here? Where are we? What-?"

"Whoa, whoa, Naruto!" Sora leapt up and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It's alright, he's gone!" Naruto blinked and looked disbelievingly at him.

"What? Gone? As in- not here? We fought him off?"

"Yeah, sure we did, don't you remember?"

"Um… N-no, not really… Last thing I knew, I got smacked into the air by that big black snake…" He cocked his head. "Why?"

Sora didn't answer immediately, staring at him with concerned confusion. He- He didn't remember? Any of it? Sora recalled the ferocious creature that had shared a branch with him earlier, the way his enraged eyes had bored into his. Had that been the same Naruto sat before him, the one he'd gotten to know? Thinking back on it, it was as if something else had taken control of him… What _was _going on with him…?

"Eh? Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked curiously, peering at Sakura below her eye-line. "What happened to your dress?"

"What?" She glanced down at the tears Sas- …the creature had sliced in her dress. She looked up again and shrugged her shoulders, giving him a slightly forced smile. "Oh, it's… It's nothing… One of those Sound guys must have done it… I didn't even notice until you-" She suddenly stopped, eyes widening in flash of realisation.

Wait a second.

_Waaaaaaaait_ a second…

There was a hole in her dress.

She knew that there was nothing under the dress- she had decided before she'd entered the Forest it would have been too warm during the Exam to layer her clothes.

So that meant Naruto could see her skin.

And _that_ meant Naruto could see the skin over her heart.

And if he could see the skin over her heart…

_Then __that__ meant Naruto could see_-!

She suddenly let out a high-pitched shriek as she crossed her arms across her chest, her face flushing bright red as she twisted away from the startled boy.

"S-Sakura?!?" He stammered in naive confusion. She snapped her head round, proverbial thunderclouds rising up and rumbling ominously behind her as Naruto paled in fright at the sight of her tightly clenched fist.

"Naaaaa-RUUUUUU-_TOOOOOO!!!!"_ She yelled furiously, slamming her fist heavily into his cheek and sending him careening over the clearing straight at the Kingdom Trio. Yelping, they threw themselves out the way, and they turned in time to see the unfortunate boy plough straight into the side of a tree, leaving a Naruto-shaped imprint in the bark.

_"NARUTO, YOU __**PERVERT**__!" _She snarled loudly at him, holding up her smoking fist. "_DON'T YOU __**EVER**__ OGGLE AT A LADY LIKE THAT!"_

"…now that's what I call 'Girl-Power'…" A white-faced Lee muttered weakly. Even Sasuke felt the need to lean away slightly. Sighing, Tenten walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder as Neji jumped down to help Lee.

"C'mon- I'll help you out with that." She nodded at her dress. "Then are we square for not believing you?"

"Deal…" Sakura muttered angrily, glaring at Naruto as the others attempted to pry him free. She turned her nose up and walked away in disgust. "_Baka…"_

"Are things always like this here?" Goofy grunted as he helped pry Naruto's body from the tree by the arm.

"No, noh reawwy…" He muttered thickly, sticking his tongue out as he pulled a splinter from its tip. "Ow! Usually she hits a lot harder…"

Tuning out the idle chatter (and pointedly ignoring the occasional glares from Neji), Sasuke stared out into the forest, an emotionless expression on his face, but his mind whirling within.

'…What… What the hell happened to me…? That… That wasn't natural… That wasn't me, that wasn't my power… But…' He slowly looked down at his hand again, staring at his fingertips. 'It's just like before; I can't remember a damn thing! Why can't I remember it?!?' He glanced over his shoulder at the others. He studied them in silence before shaking his head. '…Something weird's happening here… I don't know _what_ that Snake-Freak did to me, or what those… "Heart-less" things are…'

He clenched his fist.

'But I felt _strong…_'

* * *

"_Damnit_! These things are relentless!" The Rock-nin gasped, hands held up in front of him as he concentrated on the jutsu. "Are you alright, Kouta?" He added, glancing over his shoulder at his partner slumped inside the water-shield.

"I- I- I think so…" He mumbled, his hands clasped together tightly above his heart. "A- A few of them managed to cut me… I- I- I don't know how deep…" He trailed off, staring into the ground with glazed eyes.

"Kouta?"

"…"

"Damnit! There's more of them!" He growled angrily, lowering his right arm slightly to alter the direction of the water-shield he'd hastily summoned around them. The black creatures seemed to appear from nowhere, and they were steadily surrounding them, their paws twitching spasmodically as they stared at the trapped men. His eyes darted round, desperately trying to think of a way out.

"Kouta- Kouta, I can't move from here. If I do, those things will swarm us. You've got to use that Earth-jutsu of yours to move some of those black thorns in their way-" A sickening gurgle from behind him made him freeze in place. He snapped his head round in time for his partner to collapse in place, black smoke erupting from the wound over his heart as he foamed at the mouth.

"K-K-KOUTA!?!"

He stared with frightened eyes as Kouta's body quickly crumbled into wisps of smoke that bloomed apart to reveal the strangest thing he had ever seen: a red, glowing, crystalline heart that floated a few inches over the smoke. But before he had a chance to even gasp, the smoke twisted up and smothered it, blotting out its light as it formed into a new shape. A terrifyingly familiar shape.

"_DAMNIT!!!"_ He screamed, whipping his hands through seals and thrusting them at the ground as the shield collapsed. _"SUITON: TSUNAMI SHOU!!"_A jet of water exploded from his palms, blasting him into the air and away from his former partner. But using the Jutsu in a way it wasn't designed for, he had little control, and careened wildly in the air away from the Heartless. The tree trunk knocked the wind out of him as he slammed into it, cancelling the Justu and sending him crashing to the floor.

He pushed his face out of the dirt with a groan, and checked his surroundings. He'd only made it as far as the other side of the dark clearing, and those foul creatures were already half-way to him, crawling _in_ the floor and over the tree trunks, seemingly undeterred by his water-jet. He flipped onto his back and scrambled backwards, trying to put as much distance away from them as he could. They were gaining fast. He threw handfuls of shuriken at them, but they passed harmlessly though them. His back hit something solid, and he knew he was done for. His mind whirring, coming up with feebler and feebler plans, he simply braced himself for the inevitable cold rush.

He was surprised when it did not come.

Hesitantly, he opened an eye and looked at the creatures. They had simply stopped, most standing, some frozen halfway from emerging from the ground, and stared above his head, their spindly black antennae folded flat against their heads in what would mockingly be called submission. Not one of them moved. Not an eye blinked, not a claw twitched. The stillness was worse than the movement, as they simply stared above his head with dead, glowing eyes.

Confused, but immensely relieved, he sat up-

"My, my…" The sheer iciness, the overwhelming venom of the voice shocked him to the core, and he froze with wide eyes as dark, almost tangible killing intent radiated from behind him. "It seems I have an… Infestation in my house…" A cold shiver, a hundred times worse that the feeling from the creatures, snaked its way down his spine as a bead of cold sweat snaked its way down his face. Hardly daring to breathe, he slowly, ever-so-slowly, turned his head to look behind him. Far, far above his head, an orb of green fire burned coldly in the claws of a long, golden sceptre, illuminating the malevolent stare of the darkly clothed figure. The eyes, reflecting the fire in their depths, stared deeply into his, stirring terror in his very soul as the mouth widened into a fanged smile.

The lung-scorching screams that echoed around the forest died long after he did.

* * *

"No one's here…" Hinata wondered quietly, glancing over to the other two. Had they come to the wrong place? Kiba let out a gruff laugh of pride.

"So, are we the first one's here?"

"No." Shino stated. "I felt someone's presence." He looked round the darkened hall once again and fell silent, as if listening to the crickets now chirruping outside in the still night. Standing in silence made her feel uneasy, so Hinata asked:

"Is Akamaru okay…?" She moved forward and stroked the pup's head peering from the inside of Kiba's jacket. "He's been shivering ever since…" Akamaru whimpered quietly, nuzzling his head into her hands.

"Yeah, he'll be fine…" He took him out and laid him on his head, stroking his nose. "It was just a big shock, that's all… We've never met anyone with that level of killing intent before…"

"Ah, yes… Incidentally, what did Akamaru say back then?" Shino asked Kiba.

"Oh. Akamaru said that the big guy was going to get killed by the kid from the Sand. The one that smelt like- …blood."

"…we were lucky to get away alive…" said Hinata.

"Not really…" Kiba said grimly. "He knew we were there. In the wild, the only reason Alpha wolves allow other males in the pack is because they know they aren't a threat. That if they tried to fight back, they would always loose to him…"

They suddenly fell silent as they heard the light tapping of footsteps in the corridor, along with an eerie atmosphere that sent Akamaru whimpering again.

"(It's them…)" Kiba whispered, proverbial hackles raised. The footsteps echoed all around the empty room as they got closer, and Hinata felt the chill she usually felt when visiting the town graveyard…

The first one in view was a tall, muscle toned girl with a giant black fan attached to her back. She was dressed in a long short-sleeved shirt fringed with fishnet, and her short blonde hair, still pristine despite her forest trek, was tied up in four small points. She glanced around before spying Team 8 lined near the wall, and a sardonic grin crossed her face.

"Heh- Looks like the Leaf's got a few tough nuts, eh Kankuro?" She said over her shoulder to a boy with purple lines criss-crossing over his face. He was dressed in traditional black puppeteer-garb with, what they assumed, a large, bandaged-wrapped puppet tied to his back. He also sneered, narrowing his eyes at them.

"Naw, they just got lucky." The remark struck a nerve on the already stressed Inuzuka, and he narrowed his eyes in a loud growl. He stopped, however, when the third person entered, and the source of the sinister atmosphere was revealed.

The boy was comparatively short compared to his two teammates, only just reaching the puppeteer's shoulder, but by the dark rings round his eyes, and the kanji-shaped scar carved into his forehead under his dark red hair- he was the most dangerous. The large gourd strapped to his back didn't seem to hinder his movement at all, even though it looked like it weighed a lot. He gave no sign of seeing the silent Team 8; instead, he slowly walked forward toward the other end of the hall, his arms folded.

Kiba, Shino and Hinata watched with unease as he passed by them; Kiba, with his eyes narrowed, Akamaru whimpering softly on his head; Shino, dark glasses hiding his emotions as an agitated buzzing came from the depths of his body; Hinata, her hands shaking slightly as she pressed her fingertips together.

He suddenly stopped walking and stood in front of Hinata, staring down the empty room. His eyes flicked over and locked gazes with her. She stifled a squeak of terror as she stared back, wide-eyed, suppressing a shudder at the memory of his bloodthirstiness…

_"There was no pain. Because there was no time to even feel it."_

"Jumpy, aren't they?" Kankuro laughed as he and the girl walked past the staring boy. They continued down the hall for a short way before they realised Gaara hadn't moved. He continued to stare unblinkingly at Hinata. The continuous eye contact made her wary, and she shuffled her feet nervously.

"Gaara?" Temari asked. He didn't reply. Instead, he turned on the spot to face her and slowly began walking towards her. Hinata stiffened and dropped her gaze, clasping her hands together to stop them from shaking in fear. She could feel the boy's killer intent increase with every step he took, and it was focused solely on her. What was he doing? Why her? What could she have possibly done to upset him? She held her breath as he came within striking distance-

"You got a problem with our team-mate?" Kiba spoke up, appearing at Hinata's side and raising his arm protectively in front of her as he stared at Gaara. Hinata looked up at him, grateful, but concerned for his safety. Garra stopped in his tracks and shot him a stoic glare, and the taller boy repressed a shiver at the amount of killing intent directed at him.

"What's it to you?" Kankuro sneered, folding his arms as he stared at him.

"It would be unwise to engage in combat when we have only just passed the second stage of this exam." Shino pointed out as the buzzing from within him rose a few decibels. "While outside the tower we may do whatever we please to gain entry here, it would be prudent to refrain from hostilities whilst waiting for new instructions, lest we incur the anger of the instructors and jeopardise our chances of becoming Chuunin. I suggest we all back off." He looked pointedly at Kankuro. "For now at least…"

Throughout Shino's speech, Gaara hadn't taken his narrowed eyes off Hinata, who refused to look him in the face over Kiba's arm. Now he lifted a hand free and pointed a finger at her face. "You." He snapped, making her look up in surprise, shoulders shivering. His glare intensified, and he narrowed his eyes to slits as she pressed her back against the wall.

He sneered.

"Are Lucky."

…

She blinked in shock at the confusing statement.

"(I- I'm- I'm wh-what?)"

"Lucky." He repeated through gritted teeth, his lip curling.

"(…L- L- Lucky…?)"

"What?!" Kiba snapped. "What're you talking about, 'Lucky'? Why? Huh? Because we're here? Too cowardly to attack a girl when she's got friends, is that it?"

Gaara blinked slowly before folding his arms again and turning his head to stare directly into his eyes, making Akamaru whimper again.

"No."

He looked over his shoulder at the other two.

"Let's go." He turned away and walked towards the door. Temari frowned in disappointment- it was fun scaring the little mice- but she followed nonetheless. Kankouro sent a mocking sneer at Hinata before following his siblings. Halfway across the hall, he paused.

"Oh, by the way…" He smirked, glancing back at Shino. "Gaara found something of yours…" He took something tiny out of his pocket and flicked it at him. Shino caught it before it hit his face. He examined it and instantly stiffened. It was one of the tracking beetles he'd sent out- but the wings, the legs and the eyes had been viciously plucked out…

"Next time, don't bother. If you want to find us, we'll hunt you down ourselves…"

"I think I am beginning to dislike him…" Shino said, the faintest trace of irritation in his voice as he stared at Kankuro's fading shadow.

"K-Kiba! You shouldn't have pushed your l-luck like that!"

"Tsch." He sneered, putting up bravado despite the slight quiver in his voice. "We don't have to put up with that, no matter who he is! Number One rule: You can't let them see you afraid."

"Yes. But there's being brave and there's being suicidal."

"…just shut up, bug boy."

Hinata tuned them out, staring at the open doorway in wonder… First a mysterious (dare she say) handsome admirer from the Sound gives her a scroll, then the most dangerous person in the entire exam singles her out and tells her she's lucky, of all things- Could this get any stranger…?

* * *

"This had damn well better be important, boys…" Anko snorted, sat on the corner of a table, her arms folded in impatience. "I'm due to see the Hokage himself in fifteen minutes."

"We're sorry ma'am," The Chuunin said apologetically, crouching next to the television. "But we thought you should see this." He glanced at the two motionless ANBU members flanking the television. He re-inserted the tape and played the footage. It was taken from one of the security cameras in the Tower in the centre of Training Area 44, showing a wide, empty room. Three figures walked in from the bottom right of the picture- Two boys and a girl from the Sand Village, according to the Headband around the girl's neck.

"Yeah, they made it in. So…?"

"Anko-san, look at the time…"

"What abou-? Ah. …now that's damn impressive…" Anko stared nonchalantly at the footage, her brow slightly furrowed as she chewed her Dango stick. Something flashed on the screen. She quirked an eyebrow.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold on- rewind it a sec." The video whirred, and the footage replayed. The kid from the Sand looked at the camera, and his image flickered. "Did you see that?" She asked the two ANBU. One of them nodded, earning a glance from the other and the Chuunin. "Oh, you were bound to get it, weren't ya', Eagle-Eye?" Anko smirked at the Bird-masked Anbu. She rolled her eyes at the lack of reaction and crouched next to the Chuunin, scrutinising it. She twitched her fingers for the remote, then rewound it again. It only lasted a split-second, but… Once again, the Sand Shinobi walked across the hall. Gaara looked upwards. The flicker appeared. The screen froze. She stared for a few second, studying it, and then cracked a smirk.

"Heh. Thought there was something…" The ANBU behind her hid their surprise, but the Chuunin could only stare at the shape with a look of disgust.

"What… is that?"

"You tell me." She said grimly. Whilst the resolution wasn't the greatest, there was definitely something wrong with the picture. It showed Gaara of the Sand staring down the barrel of the camera, his face inscrutable and malevolent. Overlaying his image was a translucent, dark purple mass that contoured to the shape of his body and gourd. There was a faint yellow aura surrounding his eyes that glowed in the purple darkness, and the kanji on his forehead seemed to shine out with a red light.

"Boys…" She grinned, straightening up. "I think we need to inform the Hokage about this…"


End file.
